isVIT Corporation, a Japanese company specializing in land development and AI technology, has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with Cambodia's Kandal Provincial Administration to support integrated urban development planning and project formation. The agreement was formalized on October 9, 2026, following approval from the Royal Government of Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Manet. The signing was led by Kandal Governor Kuoch Chamroeun and isVIT President and CEO Koichi Ito.
Government Support and Strategic Significance
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from Cambodia's Senate, deputy governors, and provincial directors responsible for land management, urban planning, public works, transport, environment, and water resources. Japanese participants included officials from the Embassy of Japan and the Japan External Trade Organization. The provincial administration has committed to full support, including necessary coordination, data provision, and close cooperation with isVIT's technical team.
A Partnership Focused on Balanced Development
The collaboration will use isVIT's proprietary AI platform, TERRA-MICHI, to integrate land use, roads and transportation, drainage, and flood countermeasures in a single planning process. Kandal Province surrounds the capital Phnom Penh and is home to approximately 1.43 million residents, with rapid development expected around the new Techo International Airport. Governor Kuoch Chamroeun said the province aims to become a belt zone supporting safety, industry, logistics, food, and housing.
How TERRA-MICHI Informs Early Stage Decisions
TERRA-MICHI allows planners to examine contour lines and elevation data while estimating rainwater flow and retention tendencies. Users can evaluate road alignment, cross sections, and rough cut and fill quantities before construction begins. The platform also overlays forests, water sources, and ecologically sensitive areas so that development and conservation can be considered together from the earliest planning phase.
Academic Research and Environmental Protection
isVIT is conducting surveys and research with the Royal University of Agriculture and the Royal University of Phnom Penh under the MOU. The work focuses on forest connectivity, water movement, and habitats as evidence for deciding road locations and areas to preserve. The company aims to position nature that must be protected before urban expansion and to share the logic of where to keep and where to use land with all stakeholders.
Beta Launch and Local Capacity Building
The free beta version of TERRA-MICHI will launch on October 20, 2026, with support for Japanese, English, and Khmer. The platform is designed to deliver the knowledge of Japanese land development specialists to local engineers and young professionals. By pairing deployment of the tool with training and technology transfer, isVIT hopes to enable local teams to plan their own futures.
Global Ambitions and Nature Credits
isVIT plans to use insights from the Kandal Province project as training data to expand TERRA-MICHI to other countries and regions. The company will adapt its service models for emerging and developed markets while building partnerships with governments, developers, engineers, and research institutions. It also intends to grow nature credits, including carbon credits, as a new business area for emerging economies by feeding evidence and results into the platform.
Koichi Ito said urban development and project formation cannot be accomplished quickly, and he pledged to listen to communities and pursue the work with lifelong commitment. His first visit to Cambodia and encounter with barefoot children at Udong Mountain in Kandal Province inspired the company's mission. isVIT now begins that mission in the same province, aiming to make it a model for future urban development in Cambodia.