The next technology revolution is here, and Japan is poised to be a major part of it. At NVIDIA’s AI Summit Japan on Wednesday, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son shared a sweeping vision for Japan’s role in the AI revolution.
AI Infrastructure Essential for Global Transformation
Speaking in Tokyo, Huang underscored that AI infrastructure is essential to drive global transformation. He emphasized two types of AI: digital and physical. Digital is represented by AI agents, while physical AI is represented by robotics. He said Japan is poised to create both types, leveraging its unique language, culture, and data.
Japan’s Unique Position to Lead in AI-Driven Economy
Huang emphasized Japan’s unique position to lead in this AI-driven economy, praising the country’s history of innovation and engineering excellence as well as its technological and cultural panache. "I can’t imagine a better country to lead the robotics AI revolution than Japan," Huang said. "You have created some of the world’s best robots. These are the robots we grew up with, the robots we’ve loved our whole lives."
Agentic AI: Transforming Productivity Across Industries
Huang highlighted the potential of agentic AI—advanced digital agents capable of understanding, reasoning, planning, and taking action—to transform productivity across industries. He noted that these agents can tackle complex, multi-step tasks, effectively doing "50% of the work for 100% of the people," turbocharging human productivity. By turning data into actionable insights, agentic AI offers companies powerful tools to enhance operations without replacing human roles.
SoftBank and NVIDIA to Build Japan’s Largest AI Supercomputer
Among the summit’s major announcements was NVIDIA’s collaboration with SoftBank to build Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer. Using the NVIDIA Blackwell platform, SoftBank’s DGX SuperPOD will deliver extensive computing power to drive sovereign AI initiatives, including large language models (LLMs) specifically designed for Japan.
Accelerated Computing and Japan’s AI Infrastructure
Huang emphasized the profound synergy between AI and robotics, highlighting how advancements in artificial intelligence have created new possibilities for robotics across industries. He noted that as AI enables machines to learn, adapt, and perform complex tasks autonomously, robotics is evolving beyond traditional programming.
Conclusion
The AI revolution is here, and Japan is poised to play a major role. With its unique language, culture, and data, Japan is well-positioned to create both digital and physical AI, leveraging its expertise in mechatronics. The collaboration between NVIDIA and SoftBank to build Japan’s largest AI supercomputer is just the beginning of a new era in AI infrastructure development.
FAQs
Q: What is the significance of Japan’s role in the AI revolution?
A: Japan’s unique language, culture, and data make it an ideal location for AI development, particularly in the areas of robotics and digital AI.
Q: What is the purpose of the NVIDIA-SoftBank collaboration?
A: The collaboration aims to build Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer, providing extensive computing power to drive sovereign AI initiatives, including large language models specifically designed for Japan.
Q: How will agentic AI transform productivity across industries?
A: Agentic AI will enable companies to tackle complex, multi-step tasks, effectively doing "50% of the work for 100% of the people," turbocharging human productivity.
