TOKYO -- Sony Group will start offering subscriptions to artificial intelligence development tools, part of the Japanese company's push to rely more on recurring revenue and less on hardware sales.

The conglomerate on Wednesday said it is preparing to launch its Aitrios AI sensing platform later this year in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. The platform, which makes use of Sony's advanced sensor expertise, is meant to help businesses streamline the development and implementation of sensing solutions.

A subscription gains the client access to a workspace, including tools and software development kits, as well as to a marketplace where developers can register their AI and applications and make it available to other developers elsewhere.

Sony says companies working on AI product prototypes can shorten their development time by utilizing Aitrios-provided reference designs.

The electronics and entertainment conglomerate is counting on the platform to attract developers working on AI for cameras, application developers who use AI as well as camera makers and module integrators who develop AI cameras. The company said retailers, smart city developers and smart factory operators have shown interest in the service.

The platform makes use of Sony's AI-enabled IMX500 intelligent vision sensor, which allows high-speed edge AI processing and extracts minimal data, making it easier for solution providers to handle data.

The high-quality AI image sensor will also decrease the need to rely solely on cloud systems. The IMX500 chip can control the volume of data and therefore is able to reduce transmission latency and power consumption. It can also alleviate the privacy concerns that come with using cloud services.

Eita Yanagisawa, the senior general manager at a division of Sony Semiconductor Solutions, said the intention is for the platform to eventually be "compatible not only with the IMX500 but also with a diverse range of sensors provided by Sony."

In recent years, image sensors have become a key business segment for Sony. However, shipments of image sensors for smartphones to Huawei Technologies declined due to the U.S.-China trade war, prompting the conglomerate to accelerate its pursuit of recurring revenue streams.

The company has been able to generate stable gaming sales by introducing subscription services and has come to rely less on physical hardware sales. PlayStation Plus, which pulls in monthly subscription revenue by offering access to online multiplayer games, has over 46 million members.