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SoftBank, other Japanese firms launch AI development company
SoftBank, NEC, Honda Motor, and other Japanese firms have set up a new AI company to develop so-called physical AI for robots and vehicles, NHK reported.
The venture will work on advanced AI processing in Japan and use it to improve robot and automobile functions, the report said.
The move comes as Japan’s government plans to provide about 1 trillion yen (US$6.27 billion), for domestic AI projects over five years starting this month, as the country tries to catch up with the US and China.
🔗 Source: NHK World
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
Japan’s AI push is a broad industrial and financial alliance
- The effort reaches past the companies first named, with Sony Group, steelmaker Nippon Steel, plus banking arms of the three megabanks MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Bank 1.
- SoftBank Corp., NEC, Sony Group, and Honda Motor each own more than 10% of the new company 2.
- Plans call for engineers from Preferred Networks, a Tokyo-based AI developer, to help with the build 2.
- A SoftBank executive is set to run the company, which keeps SoftBank Corp. in a lead role for coordination 1.
This national AI model is intended for broad industrial use, with “physical AI” among the targets
- The project includes training an AI model plus a high-performance Japanese-made system meant for wide use across domestic companies 2.
- The government has pledged 1 trillion yen (US$6.2 billion) in support, with a goal of helping the venture secure scarce semiconductors that slow AI projects worldwide 3.
Recent SoftBank developments
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