ElevenLabs, the voice AI company, is rapidly expanding its global footprint through strategic partnerships and major funding, positioning voice interfaces as a core enterprise technology. The company announced a Japan developer program with OpenHome and secured $500 million in Series D funding from IT services giant DXC, valuing ElevenLabs at approximately $11 billion.

Why Is ElevenLabs Targeting Japan's Developer Community?

OpenHome, an ambient AI operating system for hardware devices, selected ElevenLabs as its featured voice partner for its first voice partnership in Japan. The partnership reflects the unique technical challenges of Japanese language voice AI. Japanese speech relies on pitch accent, context, and subtle nuance, making natural intonation and expression especially important for voice AI applications. OpenHome's selective developer program will provide accepted applicants with ElevenLabs credits for their projects, with applications available at dev.openhome.com.

"Japan has a long history of technology innovation in consumer hardware, and we're committed to bringing the next generation of AI and voice interfaces to the Japanese ecosystem," said Shannon Wu, CEO of OpenHome.

Shannon Wu, CEO of OpenHome

The program documentation and community support will be available in both Japanese and English, lowering barriers for local developers. This move signals confidence in Japan's hardware innovation ecosystem and reflects broader industry trends toward localized voice AI solutions.

How Is DXC Integrating Voice AI Into Enterprise Operations?

• Internal Operations: DXC will deploy voice AI agents and copilots in service desk operations, training, and knowledge management systems to improve employee productivity and workflow automation.
• Customer-Facing Services: The company plans to add multilingual voice interfaces to customer service platforms, enabling voice-based customer interactions and virtual assistants across its global business.
• Industry-Specific Solutions: ElevenLabs technology will be integrated into DXC's application modernization and orchestration work, with sector-specific deployments planned across DXC's customer base.

DXC's participation in ElevenLabs' Series D funding round reflects more than a standard vendor relationship. The investment creates a closer commercial link between the two companies, with plans to co-develop tools through DXC's LabX product incubator and AI Platforms Engine. This arrangement positions ElevenLabs' voice technology at the center of DXC's broader AI strategy.

"Voice is becoming a primary interface for how enterprises engage with customers and employees. Our partnership with ElevenLabs allows DXC to move faster in embedding AI into everything we do," said Raul Fernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer at DXC.

Raul Fernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer at DXC

The partnership highlights a significant shift in how enterprises are adopting generative AI technology. Rather than building voice AI capabilities in-house, large IT services providers are turning to specialized AI developers. This approach allows companies like DXC to integrate cutting-edge voice technology into mission-critical workflows without developing the underlying models themselves.

What Does This Mean for the Voice AI Market?

ElevenLabs' dual announcements reflect the maturation of the voice AI market. The company's text-to-speech and speech-to-text models are now being embedded into enterprise systems and developer platforms globally. The $500 million Series D funding round, combined with strategic partnerships in both Japan and with a global IT services provider, signals investor confidence in voice as a primary interface for human-computer interaction.

The shift from pilot projects to larger operational deployments is accelerating. DXC's global reach across managed infrastructure services, application modernization, and industry software gives ElevenLabs access to large enterprise and public sector technology estates. This distribution channel is critical for voice AI suppliers looking to scale beyond early adopters.

ElevenLabs' expansion in Japan comes as the company has already committed to tripling its local team in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, demonstrating a broader Asia-Pacific growth strategy. The Japan developer program and DXC partnership together represent a comprehensive approach to capturing both the developer ecosystem and enterprise market segments simultaneously.

"Japan's developers have a strong track record of turning advanced technologies into useful products. We're pleased to support OpenHome's program and help builders explore natural Japanese voice experiences in real-world devices," said Hajime "Jim" Tamura, General Manager, Japan and Korea at ElevenLabs.

Hajime "Jim" Tamura, General Manager, Japan and Korea at ElevenLabs

The convergence of these announcements underscores a broader industry trend: voice is becoming a central interface for enterprise systems, not a secondary feature. As companies move beyond text-based AI interactions, voice AI suppliers with strong language models and enterprise partnerships are positioning themselves as essential infrastructure providers for the next generation of AI-powered applications.