Top American computer and software companies have moved their focus to Japan, strengthening a long-standing partnership that is accelerating Japan’s technical competitiveness recovery.
Nvidia, Microsoft, and Oracle, the three American tech companies that just made fresh opportunities in Japanese data centers and related solutions, are all well-known. Additionally, they have encouraged Japan’s involvement in development tasks for classical and AI.
In March, the new ABCI-Q supercomputer built by Fujitsu at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ( AIST ) announced it will feature Nvidia’s CUDA-Q hybrid quantum-classical computing platform, equipped with more than 2,000 graphics processing units ( GPUs ) for accelerated computing.
( ABC I is an acronym for AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure; CUDA for Compute Unified Device Architecture. )
ABCI-Q is designed for inclusion with potential quantum technology. It does help classical simulations for exploration and contribute to the progress of machine learning in areas such as AI, strength, biology, pharmaceuticals, logistics and business. .
The new computer will allow Chinese researchers discover quantum computing technology to check and accelerate the development of its useful applications, according to Masahiro Horibe, a deputy director at AIST. ”
If all goes as planned, ABCI-Q will be available economically beginning in 2025.
In earlier April, Microsoft announced plans to invest US$ 2. Over the next two decades, Microsoft Research Asia will invest$ 9 billion to expand its cloud computing and AI system in Japan, establish a Tokyo laboratory for its employees and students, support AI startups and developers, and strengthen cybersecurity cooperation with the Chinese government.
The investment supports the Generative AI Accelerator Challenge ( GENIAC ) program led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry ( METI). GENEIAC was established to assist businesses in acquiring the technology resources needed to create foundation models for conceptual AI.
According to METI, this is necessary for economic and cultural development:
Generated AI is regarded as a technological advancement that is comparable to the Internet and various cutting-edge technology. This cutting-edge technology does have a significant impact on industrial pursuits and people’s lives because it is anticipated to help solve social issues, including labour shortages, and be used in all sectors. ”
A key issue that may influence the availability of this systems in Japan as well as the range of development to get created is whether or not Chinese companies have the capability to create conceptual AI. ”
Microsoft, which has been in Japan for 46 years, even intends to give$ 10 million to Keio University and the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence Research, which will fund research projects that will be conducted over the next five times.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is not one of the many Japanese critics who think the Chinese government is enforcing an excessive amount of power over the country’s information infrastructure.
It is crucial for the Chinese industry as a whole to collaborate with international companies like Microsoft that have a set of digital infrastructure, Kishida said.
“We love Microsoft’s notification of its new investment in Japan. Microsoft has made important contributions to the cultural deployment of relational AI in Japan through a number of initiatives, and we look forward to working together more. Additionally, we anticipate expanding our participation in the area of security. ”
Japan lacks the resources and the time to redefine Microsoft, and unlike China, it is not required to do so in terms of geopolitical terms. The same goes for Oracle, Nvidia and other leading US technology firms.
To be sure, the software dependency works both ways. Toyota makes the majority of the hybrid vehicles Americans then prefer, while Intel relies on Chinese semiconductor manufacturing equipment, US automakers use Chinese industrial robots, and Toyota makes the majority of the hybrid vehicles used by Americans today.
One of Microsoft’s biggest supporters is Takuya Hirai, a part of the Chinese Diet who formerly served as Minister for Digital Transformation and is now the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council’s Headquarters for the Promotion of a Digital Society.
According to Hirai, the implementation of electronic tools is necessary to address Japan’s social difficulties of an aging population and the quest of economical growth and local revitalization.
“Microsoft’s expense contributes tremendously in advancing Japan’s AI capabilities, specifically in infrastructure and skill development. I sincerely applaud this program and look forward to Microsoft’s management potential in promoting cooperation between Japan and the US, as well as across the public and private sectors, he continued.
Oracle also disclosed plans to invest more than$ 8 billion in Japan over the course of the next ten years to expand customer support and meet anticipated growth in demand for cloud computing and AI services.
Oracle Japan’s existing data centres, most of them located near Tokyo and Osaka, will also be upgraded with fresh GPUs from Nvidia, the organization said.
Oracle and Nvidia are working together to provide AI alternatives to institutions and private sector organizations around the world.
In accordance with the Digital Sovereignty Regulations of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, Oracle’s distributed sky, AI system, and conceptual AI service, in addition to Nvidia’s accelerated processing and conceptual AI program, will be used to store and process significant data and personal information within the nation.
Japan’s government and private sector are now on high cybersecurity alert to stop data leaks after being targeted by numerous hacking attacks in recent years, including those committed by Chinese and North Korean hackers.
This should help to expand Oracle’s distributed cloud infrastructure and services throughout Japan along with the expansion of local engineering support.
Targeted markets include government agencies, telecommunications, finance, healthcare and other data-intensive enterprises and organizations.
Oracle and Microsoft are investing in Japan with an emphasis on Amazon. In January, Amazon Web Services announced plans to spend about$ 15 billion through 2027 on new data centers to support its Japan-based cloud computing services.
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