• Japan, NVIDIA, and SoftBank push AI with language models and digital twins.
• NVIDIA and cloud leaders drive Japan’s leadership in telecom, robotics, and automotive.

Becoming a global leader in AI is a top priority for Japan, and it’s all starting with AI-driven language models. Japanese tech experts are working on advanced AI models that understand the country’s unique cultural and linguistic nuances. This is opening up new possibilities for developers in industries that demand high precision, like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing.

And it’s not just a solo mission—major consulting firms like Accenture, Deloitte, EY Japan, FPT, Kyndryl, and TCS Japan—are teaming up with NVIDIA to establish innovation hubs throughout Japan. The centres aim to help companies fully embrace AI, both in enterprise use and physical applications. They’re using NVIDIA’s AI software, language models tailored to the Japanese language, and NVIDIA’s NIM microservices to build customised AI tools that suit specific industry needs. Essentially, it’s about creating a digital workforce that boosts productivity across the board.

One of the most exciting tools here is NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform, which lets Japanese companies make digital twins (virtual copies of real-world assets) and test complex AI systems before rolling them out in the real world. For industries like manufacturing and robotics, this tech is a huge advantage, helping them refine processes and make smart tweaks without taking on real-world risks. With AI integrated into these strongholds of Japanese industry, the country’s well on its way to addressing some of its toughest challenges.

Japan is facing a shrinking workforce due to an ageing population; a serious issue in the country. But Japane’s strength in robotics and automation puts it in a good position to tackle the problem with AI-powered solutions. Japan’s government recently released a report underscoring its ambition to be “the world’s most AI-friendly country,” clearly signalling AI’s role in its future.

And the numbers are backing up this commitment. IDC reports that Japan’s AI market hit $5.9 billion value this year, marking a solid 31.2% year-on-year growth. In Tokyo and Kansai, newly opened consulting hubs are primed to give companies hands-on experience with NVIDIA’s cutting-edge AI tech and guidance to help accelerate AI adoption. For Japan, this isn’t just about tech—it’s about solving real-world social challenges and driving long-term economic growth.

Building Japan’s AI backbone with cloud leaders

The country’s top cloud providers—SoftBank Corp., GMO Internet Group, KDDI, Highreso, Rutilea, and SAKURA Internet—are all-in on building AI infrastructure with NVIDIA’s support, focusing on industries like robotics, automotive, healthcare, and telecom. With backing from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), the cloud providers are setting up AI data centers across the country to support both local and national development, equipped with NVIDIA’s high-performance accelerated computing.

According to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Japan has huge potential to gain from the AI era. “Japan’s companies stand to benefit tremendously from the new industrial revolution powered by AI,” Huang said. “Employees will see their productivity soar with AI agents taking over repetitive tasks. The factories of tomorrow will operate in dual mode—AI factories generating software intelligence alongside traditional factories.”

One standout partnership is between NVIDIA and SoftBank Corp., one that will have a big impact on fast-tracking Japan’s AI goals. During his keynote at the NVIDIA AI Summit Japan, the NVIDIA CEO announced that SoftBank is building Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer using the NVIDIA Blackwell platform, and has plans to use the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform for its next big project. SoftBank isn’t just aiming for tech leadership in Japan—it’s also setting its sights on new revenue opportunities in telecommunications globally.

SoftBank’s already tested out the world’s first combined AI and 5G telecom network using NVIDIA’s AI Aerial platform, a breakthrough that could open up new revenue streams for telecom providers worldwide. In addition, SoftBank is working on an AI marketplace to meet the growing demand for secure, local AI computing in Japan. The marketplace could turn SoftBank into a central hub for AI services, supporting businesses, consumers, and enterprises across the country.

“Japan has a long history of pioneering technological innovations with global impact,” Huang said. “With SoftBank’s significant investment in NVIDIA’s AI, Omniverse, and 5G AI-RAN platforms, Japan is taking a leap into the AI industrial revolution. This shift is expected to benefit sectors like telecommunications, transportation, robotics, and healthcare in ways that will ultimately advance society.”

SoftBank’s CEO Junichi Miyakawa echoed the optimism, saying, “Through our close partnership with NVIDIA, SoftBank is leading the AI-driven transformation of society. With our powerful AI infrastructure and our new AI-RAN solution ‘AITRAS,’ which reinvents 5G networks for AI, we’re accelerating innovation across Japan and beyond.”

Japan’s vision for an AI-driven future

SoftBank is about to receive the world’s first NVIDIA DGX B200 systems for its new DGX SuperPOD supercomputer, which will not only support SoftBank’s own AI projects but also those of universities, research centres, and businesses, right across Japan. Expected to be Japan’s most powerful AI machine yet, it’s perfect for developing large language models and managing high-performance compute tasks.

SoftBank has even bigger plans: it’s working on a second NVIDIA-accelerated supercomputer that’s optimised for extremely intensive workloads. This system, based on the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform, combines NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs with energy-efficient Arm-based NVIDIA Grace CPUs to take AI in Japan to the next level, solidifying the country’s position as a leader in AI.

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