TOKYO, Japan, October 29, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC, *1), the national institution responsible for landmine clearance activities in Cambodia, with assistance from JICA (*2), conducted a proof-of-concept using AI to predict landmine-contaminated areas. This initiative aims to contribute to rapid and efficient clearance operations to eliminate landmine casualties. The proof-of-concept achieved highly accurate predictions, with a match rate exceeding 90% against actual landmine locations.

This initiative also received recognition through "The GICHD Innovation Award 2025," hosted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD, *3), which honors outstanding technologies contributing to progress in demining activities. The award was presented at a ceremony held in Luxembourg on Tuesday, October 28.

Removing landmines in an area                                   Award Ceremony
predicted by AI in Cambodia                                     ©GICHD/PANCAKE! Photographie

The use of landmines remains a humanitarian issue worldwide, particularly hindering community and economic development for extended periods in post-conflict nations. It is estimated that approximately 100 million people face the threat of landmines, with one person losing their life to a landmine every 90 minutes (*4).

In Cambodia, civil war spanning the 1970s and 1990s led to the widespread burial of landmines across the country. Despite years of dedicated clearance efforts, remnant landmines persist in some areas today. These landmines prevent the use of land for farming and residential purposes, posing serious obstacles to recovery and development.

The Cambodian government, based on the Ottawa Treaty (Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction) signed in 1997, has set a target of completing landmine clearance within Cambodia by 2030. To achieve this, it is expected that advanced technologies such as AI will be utilized to reduce survey time.

This demonstration targeted approximately 1 million square meters of Cambodia's landmine fields. NEC's AI analyzed information based on data that included CMAC's records of detected landmine locations, resident-provided information, and open data such as river/mountainous terrain locations and factory/critical building sites. It then accurately predicted areas with a high probability of containing buried landmines.

Traditionally, identifying potential landmine-infested areas required extensive, unorganized data and significant manpower over long periods. By leveraging AI, this process can now be performed quickly with fewer personnel, demonstrating the potential to support swift and efficient landmine clearance.

Going forward, NEC will continue striving to further improve AI's accuracy. Working with CMAC, with assistance from JICA, and strengthening collaboration with the Japanese government, NEC will accelerate efforts toward achieving Cambodia's goal of completing landmine clearance by 2030. Furthermore, NEC aims to contribute to other landmine-affected countries using this technology in the future.

(*1) Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC)
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Director: Heng Rathana
(*2) Japan International Cooperation Agency
(*3) Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
Location: Geneva, Switzerland; Director: Stefano Toscan
(*4) Source: the-monitor.org/reports/landmine-monitor
Landmine Monitor 2024 Full Paper

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

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