SoftBank opens institute in Tokyo to accelerate AI research
- The institute will support 150 researchers and focus on transitioning AI research from the academic to the commercial
- SoftBank announced a partnership with the University of Tokyo that includes spending US$184 million over 10 years
SoftBank Group Corp founder Masayoshi Son unveiled a US$184 million initiative on Friday to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) research in Japan, enlisting Alibaba Group Holding’s Jack Ma to expound on his goal of commercialising the technology.
The Japanese multinational conglomerate announced a partnership with the University of Tokyo that includes spending 20 billion yen (US$184 million) over 10 years by telecommunications arm SoftBank Corp to establish the Beyond AI Institute.
Son, chairman and chief executive at SoftBank, roped in the Alibaba co-founder for an on-campus chat, during which the two billionaires discussed their vision for the future of technology. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post.
The institute will support 150 researchers from various disciplines and focus on transitioning AI research from the academic to the commercial, using joint ventures between universities and companies.
Health care, city and social infrastructure and manufacturing will be the primary areas of focus, SoftBank said in a statement.
That dovetails with its own goals: in November, SoftBank and Korea’s Naver Corp said they plan to merge Yahoo Japan and Line Corp into an internet giant under SoftBank’s control, to combine resources on AI and challenge leaders from Google to Tencent Holdings.