SoftBank, Others Set Up New Firm to Develop High-Performance AI

Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s SoftBank Corp., NEC Corp., Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have taken the lead in establishing a new company to develop Japanese-made artificial intelligence, informed sources said Sunday. The new company will make its high-performance AI available to Japanese companies for broad use, aiming to overtake U.S. and Chinese firms that are leading in this field. SoftBank, NEC, Sony and Honda each took a stake of more than 10 pct in the new firm, while several other firms are negotiating to invest as minority shareholders, according to the sources. Engineers from SoftBank and Tokyo-based AI developer Preferred Networks Inc. are expected to participate in the development, they said. The new company plans to apply for an AI development support program run by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a national research and development agency, which began accepting proposals in late March. Under the program, a total of 1 trillion yen in assistance will be provided over five years from fiscal 2026. Ultimately, the new company aims to develop so-called physical AI that can also be used for controlling robots. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]