The Japanese government, in conjunction with private companies, launched a $19 billion national artificial intelligence project.

PANews reported on December 21 that, according to Jinshi News, the Japanese government will launch a large-scale project in cooperation with the private sector to develop a national artificial intelligence system worth approximately 3 trillion yen (about US$19 billion). It is expected that next spring, SoftBank Group and more than ten other Japanese companies will form a new company to develop Japan's largest foundational AI model. The new company will be led by SoftBank Group and will bring together approximately 100 experts selected through a company competition, including SoftBank engineers and developers from Preferred Networks. The Japanese government emphasizes that artificial intelligence directly impacts industrial competitiveness and national security, and that over-reliance on foreign technology poses strategic risks; this is one of the reasons for launching the project.