Taking on new challenges outside audio equipment manufacturing and technology, employee ideas led to the creation of the ASM50 Nigirikko home-use sushi maker, released under the AUTEC brand
What followed was not just the growth of a company — it was the growth of a culture. We watched chefs push boundaries, new generations discover sushi for the first time, and a cuisine rooted in Japanese tradition become part of everyday American life.
None of that happened alone. It happened because of you.
The chefs who trusted us with their kitchens. The partners who believed in what we were building. The creators who never stopped asking what sushi could become.
For 25 years, your trust has been the foundation of everything AUTEC has built.
We have always believed that technology exists to support people — not replace them. AUTEC was built so that chefs can focus on what only they can do: create. That belief hasn’t changed. If anything, it has only grown stronger.
Stadiums and sushi robots — on their own, they do not create emotion, connection, or progress. They are merely vessels. It is only when people gather, stories emerge, and experiences are repeated that meaning is created—and culture begins to evolve.
We do not see sushi robots as finished products, but as infrastructure — a platform where creativity is expressed, shared, and scaled.
Our goal is to transform sushi from something exceptional into something everyday. And what makes that possible is not technology itself, but what is created on top of it.
“You Be Creative, We Do The Rest” is not just a slogan. This is the backbone of AUTEC’s spirit of innovation integrated into every product we create, every venture and partnership we embark on. We foster a culture of creativity at AUTEC that embraces thinking differently, bending tradition, and taking risks with the goal of authenticity. This energy reverberates through our team in our daily course of business as well as in our personal lives.
Does technology deprive chefs of their creativity, or does it liberate it? We will soon release an exclusive dialogue between the President of AUTEC and top American chefs, recorded at our 25th-anniversary event in April, along with a highlight gallery showcasing the celebration’s excitement.
For AUTEC’s 25th anniversary, Chef Yamanaka has been invited specifically for his cross-cultural perspective. A French-trained chef rethinking Japanese cuisine. His role in this event is to explore new creative possibilities of sushi using AUTEC machines—not by altering tradition, but by expanding it through a different culinary language.
Through dishes such as ahi poke and tuna nigiri prepared with AUTEC machines, he demonstrates how a single ingredient can move fluidly across formats and cultures, revealing a broader spectrum of expression within sushi.
A Hokkaido-born chef trained in Japan and Paris, Yuya Yamanaka is the founder of Paris.Hawaii, recognized among USA Today’s 10 Best New Restaurants. His cuisine blends classical French technique with a deep respect for local ingredients, seasonality, and balance.
For AUTEC’s 25th anniversary, the company partners with Sushi Saito to challenge the conventional divide between craftsmanship and technology. Rather than replacing the human touch, AUTEC machines are positioned as an extension of the sushi-making process—delivering precision and consistency while preserving the essence of Edomae sushi.
By bringing automation into a Michelin-level context, the collaboration reframes sushi not as a fixed tradition, but as an evolving form. It demonstrates how technique and technology can coexist, expanding the possibilities of sushi without compromising its cultural integrity.
Taking on new challenges outside audio equipment manufacturing and technology, employee ideas led to the creation of the ASM50 Nigirikko home-use sushi maker, released under the AUTEC brand
As this technology began to expand beyond Japan and enter the U.S. market, it became clear that simply exporting what had been successful domestically was not enough, as differences in restaurant culture and operational needs created a gap that the existing approach could not fully bridge, leaving sushi robots positioned primarily as back-of-house equipment
A defining moment came in 2010 with the launch of the ASM835A, when sushi robots evolved in both form and perception, becoming smaller, more refined in design, and capable of being placed directly on the counter rather than hidden in the kitchen, marking a fundamental shift from something concealed to something visible within the dining experience itself. This transformation went beyond product improvement, representing a redefinition of the machine’s role—from a tool designed purely for efficiency into infrastructure that supports and enables the culture of sushi
Today, the sushi industry faces a new set of conditions, including intensifying labor shortages, the growing presence of non-Japanese chefs, and the continued localization of sushi across cultures, all contributing to a shift from a tradition that once felt too revered to approach into one that invites broader participation
AUTEC proudly presents TECHNICA HOUSE NY, a collaborative space created in partnership with Audio-Technica that brings together food, music, and art as a unified cultural experience. At its core is an integrated environment where a listening room and a sushi counter exist as one continuous experience. Within this setting, AUTEC presents “12 by AUTEC,” a 12-seat omakase where chefs lead the creative direction, supported by AUTEC’s sushi robotics for precision and creative flow. Positioned within the dining experience itself, the technology functions as part of the workflow, reflecting AUTEC’s philosophy: you be creative, we do the rest. TECHNICA HOUSE NY serves as a platform for local creatives and innovators, expressing AUTEC’s vision for a new intersection of culinary culture, sound, and technology
Launched "SUSHI MOVEMENT," a cultural project merging the audio-centric mindset inherited from Audio-Technica with AUTEC's cutting-edge sushi robotics. In collaboration with culinary professionals of diverse backgrounds, the initiative offers a unique "Customize Rolls" experience where creativity is expressed through food within a curated musical atmosphere. By fusing culinary technology and music, the movement aims to share a fresh, borderless sushi culture with the world
In 2026, marking 25 years since AUTEC began in the United States, sushi stands at a turning point. Once defined as a high-end cuisine experienced in Japanese restaurants, sushi is now becoming something more accessible and integrated into everyday life. AUTEC defines this next evolution as “AMERIKAMAE”—an expansion of tradition that makes sushi more open, more familiar, and more widely shared. This marks the beginning of the next 25 years: supporting sushi as it moves from something admired at a distance to something people can engage with in their daily lives.
Looking ahead, sushi will become more deeply integrated into everyday life, existing seamlessly across restaurants, stadiums, and countless other environments. As it continues to evolve, the focus is not only on accessibility, but on building a foundation that allows it to remain sustainable over time.
AUTEC’s role is not to stand at the center of this change, but to quietly support it—serving as the trusted infrastructure that enables sushi to expand, adapt, and endure.