As Japan works to strengthen its artificial intelligence ecosystem in response to growing tensions between the United States and China, Sakana AI sees opportunity for more strategic investment in the nation.
According to co-founder and CEO David Ha of Sakana, growing geopolitical dangers are generating interest in the Tokyo-based business, which just completed a $100 million+ fundraising round that includes Nvidia.
In a Monday interview with Bloomberg TV, Ha stated, “We think that a strong economy like Japan would want to advance their own AI ecosystem, and we want to be part of that.” But he also said that the company now has “more than enough ammunition” to further its technology thanks to the most recent funding round.
Japan, a country with limited resources, is taking a keen interest in Sakana’s approach of concentrating on numerous little models that complement each other rather than a single, large fundamental model. The island nation, which imports nearly all of its energy, has been looking into more energy-efficient ways to advance artificial intelligence.
According to Ha, the firm will collaborate with Nvidia on research and AI infrastructure projects in Japan, including data centers.
With about 20 people involved, Japan has welcomed the venture with open arms. Ha, who assisted in establishing the Google Brain research team in Tokyo, and Llion Jones, a co-author of a seminal work that initiated the current AI wave, are co-founders of the company.