```html Japanese government to invest up to 62 billion USD to support SoftBank and others in developing domestic AI foundational models

Odaily Odaily reports that the Japanese government has announced it will provide up to 1 trillion yen (approximately 62 billion USD) in funding to support nine companies, including those under the SoftBank Group, in jointly developing indigenous artificial intelligence foundational models. This initiative aims to accelerate efforts to catch up with the leading advantages of the United States and China in the AI field.

The plan is designed to promote the establishment of an independent and controllable AI technology system in Japan, strengthen "technological sovereignty," and reduce reliance on overseas large models and computing ecosystems. The project will center on foundational large model research and development, with participants including SoftBank and several technology companies. It will focus on core areas such as computing infrastructure, model training, and industrial applications.

The Japanese government stated that this move reflects that, against the backdrop of an accelerating global AI race, countries are speeding up the construction of their domestic AI ecosystems through national-level funding and industry consortia models to enhance strategic competitiveness. (Nikkei)