The Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank intends to develop a generative artificial intelligence model for the Japanese language.
The mentioned information was published by the media, citing anonymous insiders. The conglomerate plans to design an artificial intelligence model that will meet international quality standards for the relevant products.
The media also reports that SoftBank intends to invest $960 million to develop its computing facilities over the next two years. To train large language models such as OpenAI Chat GPT, advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) are needed, which the conglomerate plans to purchase from Nvidia.
The media reports that with the successful implementation of the mentioned intentions, SoftBank is likely to become the owner of the most powerful computing facilities in Japan. It is worth noting that currently in the mentioned country there is a shortage of private companies with high-performance supercomputers, which are necessary for the development of large language models. SoftBank’s investments could potentially change this state of affairs and become a factor of large-scale impact on the situation in the Japanese technology sector.
Last week, OpenAI opened its first office in Tokyo. In this case, the company that developed the world’s most popular artificial intelligence-based chatbot called ChatGPT took action as part of the implementation of a global expansion strategy. Microsoft also intends to invest $2.9 billion over the next two years to expand its cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Japan.
In fiscal year 2024, SoftBank plans to complete the development of its first artificial intelligence model, which will have 390 billion parameters. The media reports that next year the conglomerate intends to design an AI model with 1 trillion parameters.
The Japanese telecommunications company NTT is also planning to develop a large language model. The firm intends to invest $51.7 billion in data centers and artificial intelligence over the next five years.
According to Statista Market Insights, the Japanese AI market will grow to about $13 billion by the end of the current decade. The mentioned indicator is about 17 times higher than the figure recorded last year.
As we have reported earlier, Softbank Considers Investing in Mistral AI.
Serhii Mikhailov
Serhii’s track record of study and work spans six years at the Faculty of Philology and eight years in the media, during which he has developed a deep understanding of various aspects of the industry and honed his writing skills; his areas of expertise include fintech, payments, cryptocurrency, and financial services, and he is constantly keeping a close eye on the latest developments and innovations in these fields, as he believes that they will have a significant impact on the future direction of the economy as a whole.
