Home30 Japanese Industry Giants to Invest in SoftBank AI Joint Venture
Nikkei Asia reports that roughly 30 major Japanese companies across chemicals, robotics, automotive, and electronics are exploring investments in a new SoftBank-backed AI joint venture. The venture aims to boost Japan's AI development and global competitiveness.
Companies involved include well-known names like Asahi Glass, Fanuc, and Fujitsu. Established in April by SoftBank Group's mobile unit, the joint venture targets "physical AI" that can autonomously control machines and robots by combining data from different manufacturing sectors, responding to the strong leads held by the US and China in AI.
Around 10 companies are expected to decide on investments in June, each committing several million yen. SoftBank, NEC, Honda Motor, and Sony Group will be core shareholders, each holding more than 10% of shares. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Japan Steel Works, and Kobe Steel have also made modest investments.
The joint venture plans to develop one of Japan's largest AI models by 2027, targeting the most powerful AI in the country with roughly 10 trillion parameters. Parameters are key numeric values AI models use for processing information. By 2029, the model is expected to handle various data types like images and audio, becoming a multimodal AI system. By the early 2030s, it should integrate real-world data such as weight, temperature, location, and distance.
The joint venture aims to make this AI model accessible to investors and other stakeholders, fostering the creation of AI models tailored to specific industries and companies, while supporting the development of service infrastructure.
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Nikkei Asia reports that roughly 30 major Japanese companies across chemicals, robotics, automotive, and electronics are exploring investments in a new SoftBank-backed AI joint venture. The venture aims to boost Japan's AI development and global competitiveness.
Companies involved include well-known names like Asahi Glass, Fanuc, and Fujitsu. Established in April by SoftBank Group's mobile unit, the joint venture targets "physical AI" that can autonomously control machines and robots by combining data from different manufacturing sectors, responding to the strong leads held by the US and China in AI.
Around 10 companies are expected to decide on investments in June, each committing several million yen. SoftBank, NEC, Honda Motor, and Sony Group will be core shareholders, each holding more than 10% of shares. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Japan Steel Works, and Kobe Steel have also made modest investments.
The joint venture plans to develop one of Japan's largest AI models by 2027, targeting the most powerful AI in the country with roughly 10 trillion parameters. Parameters are key numeric values AI models use for processing information. By 2029, the model is expected to handle various data types like images and audio, becoming a multimodal AI system. By the early 2030s, it should integrate real-world data such as weight, temperature, location, and distance.
The joint venture aims to make this AI model accessible to investors and other stakeholders, fostering the creation of AI models tailored to specific industries and companies, while supporting the development of service infrastructure.
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