Japan Launches Sovereign AI Initiative with Major Industrial Players
SoftBank leads a consortium of eight major Japanese companies to develop a domestic AI model with 1 trillion parameters by 2030. This initiative aims to enhance industrial automation while ensuring data security by keeping all processing within Japan.

SoftBank has established a consortium involving NEC, Honda, Sony, and three major banks (MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui, Mizuho), along with two steel manufacturers (Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel), to develop a fully Japanese AI system. The initiative targets a model with approximately 1 trillion parameters by the end of the decade, focusing on physical AI for controlling machines and robots.
The project will benefit from around ¥1 trillion in state support through NEDO and aims to recruit about 100 AI engineers. A data center will be built in Sakai, Osaka, ensuring all data processing remains in Japan to protect sensitive information. However, the timeline poses risks as gaps with advanced AI models from the US and China may widen by 2029.




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