Nvidia Aims to Establish AI Ecosystem in Japan

According to Yahoo News, Nvidia Corp. intends to create an AI tech-related ecosystem in Japan to cater to the country's growing interest in artificial intelligence. The Santa Clara, California-based company plans to collaborate with Japanese research organizations, companies, and startups to construct AI factories. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang announced the company's intentions during a meeting with Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura. Nvidia will also establish an AI research laboratory, invest in local startups, and educate the public on AI usage. Nvidia's graphics chips, known for processing large amounts of data through parallel calculations, have become the go-to tool for training AI services. Prices for Nvidia chips have increased as companies and governments compete to develop their AI capabilities. Huang met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this week and pledged to prioritize Japan, according to local news reports. Huang believes that Japan has the technical expertise and industrial capacity to create its own AI ecosystem, citing the country's decades of experience in mechatronics, manufacturing, and robotics. Nvidia currently supplies chips and servers to Japanese companies such as SoftBank Corp., NEC Corp., and Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., which are all competing to build Japanese large language models and other Japan-specific AI infrastructure. Economy Minister Nishimura emphasized the importance of collaboration with Nvidia for Japan to develop its own generative AI, expressing his desire for Japan to lead the world in innovation through a deepened partnership with the company.