Japan’s major cloud service providers, including SoftBank Corp., GMO Internet Group, Highreso, KDDI, Rutilea, and SAKURA Internet, have embarked on a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA to enhance the country’s AI infrastructure. This partnership promises to accelerate technological transformation across various industries such as robotics, automotive, healthcare, and telecommunications, according to NVIDIA Newsroom.

Strategic AI Development

The initiative is supported by the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), aiming to distribute essential computing resources nationwide. The cloud providers are deploying AI data centers in central, northern, and western Japan, leveraging NVIDIA’s advanced computing technology to foster national and regional development.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, emphasized the potential benefits of AI in revolutionizing industrial operations. He noted that AI could significantly boost employee productivity by automating tasks and that new AI ‘factories’ could produce the software intelligence necessary for modern manufacturing processes.

Cloud Providers Leading the Charge

SoftBank Corp. has embraced NVIDIA’s Blackwell platforms to create Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputers, including the groundbreaking NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. This infrastructure supports SoftBank’s subsidiary, SB Intuitions, in its research on high-performance Japanese-native large language models (LLMs).

GMO Internet Group is set to launch the GMO GPU Cloud, Japan’s first local cloud service featuring NVIDIA’s comprehensive AI technologies. This service will offer businesses access to advanced AI computing resources, powered by Dell PowerEdge servers.

Highreso is also making strides with its AI data center in Kagawa, which is expected to commence operations soon. This facility will support Highreso’s GPUSOROBAN AI Supercomputer Cloud service, providing a robust platform for AI development across Japan.

Expanding AI Capabilities

KDDI is developing AI computing infrastructure using NVIDIA HGX systems to aid in generative AI and LLM development. This infrastructure will facilitate the creation of digital twins and run simulations for autonomous vehicles and robotics.

Rutilea is expanding its AI cloud data center capabilities by doubling its NVIDIA Hopper computing resources. This expansion will support LLM development for various sectors, including animation and retail.

SAKURA Internet plans to significantly increase its AI computing power by expanding its Koukaryoku cloud services and installing new infrastructure at its Ishikari data center, which aims to be fully powered by renewable energy by 2027. This expansion will support clients like the National Institute of Informatics and TIER IV in their AI research and development efforts.

These collaborations mark a significant step in Japan’s journey towards becoming a global leader in AI technology, with NVIDIA providing the technological backbone necessary for this transformation.

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