Sakana AI, Backed by Nvidia, to Build AI Lab in Japan

Key Takeaways

Sakana AI, a startup based in Tokyo, is creating a top-tier AI lab in Japan.

The company raised over $100 million in funding.

It’s partnering with Nvidia to strengthen Japan’s position in AI development.

Tokyo-based Sakana AI is planning to establish a cutting-edge AI research lab in Japan, with significant backing from Nvidia. The company recently secured over $100 million through a Series A funding round, led by Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures, and New Enterprise Association, with Nvidia playing a key role in supporting the venture.

Sakana AI is partnering with Nvidia to focus on important areas such as research, infrastructure, and AI community growth in Japan. By joining forces, they aim to boost Japan's competitiveness in the rapidly evolving AI industry. This collaboration will allow Sakana AI to access Nvidia's data centers early in the development phase, giving them a head start on experiments and testing. Additionally, Nvidia’s GPU technology will help Sakana scale up AI processes and implement efficient optimization techniques.

The partnership doesn’t just stop at technology. Sakana AI and Nvidia will also work together to foster Japan’s AI community by organizing hackathons, events, and outreach programs at universities. Sakana AI stated in a blog post that it plans to keep investing in talent and building infrastructure to advance sustainable, energy-efficient AI technologies inspired by nature.

Sakana AI: Founded by Former Google Researchers Founded in August last year, Sakana AI—named after the Japanese word for "fish"—has quickly made a name for itself by developing low-cost generative AI models, particularly for Japanese speakers. The company was co-founded by David Ha, who previously led Google’s Japanese AI research unit, and Llion Jones, one of the authors of the influential paper “Attention is All You Need”, which laid the foundation for modern generative AI models like ChatGPT.

As Japan faces challenges such as a shrinking population and reduced global competitiveness, the country's AI sector is gaining attention from international investors. Earlier this year, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman opened an office in Tokyo, and Microsoft announced a $2.9 billion investment over the next two years to expand Japan’s cloud computing and data center infrastructure.

With Sakana AI’s new lab and strong partnerships, Japan’s AI future looks promising.