Japanese government to invest up to $6.2 billion to support SoftBank and other companies in developing domestic AI foundational models

Odaily Planet Daily News: The Japanese government has announced it will provide up to 1 trillion yen (approximately 62 billion US dollars) in funding to support nine companies, including those under the SoftBank Group, in jointly developing domestic artificial intelligence foundational models, aiming to accelerate the catch-up with the leading edge of the United States and China in the AI field.

This plan aims 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 revolve around the research and development of foundational large models, with participants including SoftBank and several technology companies, focusing on core areas such as computing infrastructure, model training, and industrial applications.

The Japanese government stated that this initiative reflects that, against the backdrop of the accelerating global AI race, countries are accelerating the construction of local AI ecosystems through national-level funding and industry alliance models to enhance strategic competitiveness. (Nikkei)