SoftBank gets $37 mil. govt. subsidy for generative AI

Jul 08, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan's government has been watching companies abroad take the lead in the race to develop generative artificial intelligence models. Now it plans to help fund a supercomputer that can play in the same league.

The government says it will provide 5.3 billion yen, or about 37 million dollars, to Japanese telecom giant SoftBank to create a machine capable of processing the vast amount of data necessary.

The subsidy will cover about a quarter of the money SoftBank is budgeting for what it says will be one of the most powerful computers in Japan.

US-based Nvidia will supply the high-performance semiconductors.

Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi said it is important to establish foundations for the development of generative AI in Japan for both innovation and economic security.

The government last month pledged about 6.8 billion yen, or 47 million dollars, to Japanese data center operator Sakura Internet to develop its own supercomputer.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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