NVIDIA and SoftBank Propel Japan Towards Global AI Leadership
NVIDIA and SoftBank Corp. have announced transformative plans to establish Japan as a global leader in artificial intelligence, unveiling initiatives to create Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer and pioneer the world’s first live 5G AI-RAN network. This partnership aims to position Japan at the forefront of AI development, impacting industries such as telecommunications, healthcare, and robotics, while opening substantial revenue streams for global telecommunications providers.
During the NVIDIA AI Summit in Japan, NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, shared how SoftBank will leverage the NVIDIA Blackwell platform to build a supercomputer, marking a significant leap for Japan’s AI capabilities. The company also plans to implement NVIDIA Grace Blackwell in its future projects, enabling unprecedented computational power for Japan’s AI initiatives. This effort underscores SoftBank’s commitment to Japan’s sovereign AI infrastructure, positioning the nation to lead in global technology. Read more about this AI revolution here.
Creating Japan’s Most Powerful AI Supercomputer
At the heart of this endeavor is Japan’s upcoming AI supercomputer, powered by NVIDIA’s Blackwell platform and slated to become Japan’s most advanced AI computing resource. SoftBank’s NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, built with DGX™ B200 systems, is expected to drive innovations across academia, business, and government. With a scalable design based on NVIDIA’s Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, the SuperPOD will facilitate large language model development, essential for advancements in generative AI and machine learning applications.
Jensen Huang highlighted Japan’s leadership in tech, saying, “With SoftBank’s significant investment in NVIDIA’s full-stack AI, Omniverse, and 5G AI-RAN platforms, Japan is poised to drive growth across industries in the age of AI.” SoftBank’s Blackwell-powered DGX SuperPOD offers substantial capabilities for AI development, pushing the boundaries of AI and enhancing Japan’s technological sovereignty.
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Pioneering the First 5G AI-RAN Network
Another groundbreaking element of this collaboration is SoftBank’s AI-RAN (AI Radio Access Network), a revolutionary network infrastructure that combines AI and 5G workloads. Developed with NVIDIA AI Aerial technology, this system was piloted successfully in Kanagawa, Japan, demonstrating the potential for telecom networks to function as profitable AI assets. This innovative AI-RAN model enables telecom providers to monetize previously underused network capacity, creating new revenue streams.
By using AI-RAN, telecom operators can now capitalize on their networks’ surplus capacity, offering AI inference services to enterprises and industries. According to NVIDIA’s estimates, telecom providers can generate up to $5 in AI inference revenue for every dollar spent on AI-RAN infrastructure. SoftBank’s trial results project a possible return on investment (ROI) of up to 219% for each AI-RAN server, signaling a promising future for this dual-use 5G-AI model. For more, see NVIDIA’s press release on their official site.
Building a Local AI Marketplace
In addition to its hardware and network innovations, SoftBank is creating a secure AI marketplace tailored to meet Japan’s unique computing needs. Using NVIDIA AI Enterprise, SoftBank’s marketplace will cater to local businesses, institutions, and government organizations seeking secure, efficient AI services. This platform, a part of SoftBank’s AI grid, will support AI training, edge AI inference, and real-time data processing.
SoftBank’s AI marketplace aims to establish Japan as a global hub for AI development, reducing dependency on foreign AI infrastructures and facilitating AI-driven innovations across industries. For more on Japan’s AI initiatives, visit our detailed overview of AI developments in Japan.
Key Partnerships Driving AI-RAN Success
SoftBank’s AI-RAN project has received extensive support from industry leaders, including Fujitsu and Red Hat, who contributed to optimizing the AI-RAN infrastructure. SoftBank is also employing NVIDIA’s Aerial RAN Computer-1 systems, which consume 40% less power than traditional 5G networks, making the AI-RAN network more sustainable. SoftBank’s ecosystem approach, combining NVIDIA AI Enterprise’s serverless APIs and its orchestrator, is crucial in efficiently distributing AI workloads to match demand without compromising network performance.
Transforming Telecommunications with AITRAS
SoftBank’s AITRAS platform, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, integrates AI and 5G into a single, highly efficient network infrastructure. This platform allows SoftBank to achieve greater communication efficiency and revenue potential through dynamic workload balancing. According to Ryuji Wakikawa, VP of SoftBank’s Research Institute of Advanced Technology, “AITRAS will pave the way for new business models, revolutionizing telecommunications and supporting innovative AI applications.”
SoftBank and NVIDIA’s collaboration represents a landmark for Japan’s AI and 5G landscapes. Through strategic infrastructure investments, AI-enabled supercomputing, and pioneering AI-RAN networks, Japan is poised to lead the global AI revolution. With projects like these, Japan is not only enhancing its technological sovereignty but also setting a global example for innovation in telecommunications and artificial intelligence.
For further information on NVIDIA’s and SoftBank’s AI-driven advancements, read the full announcement on NVIDIA’s official press release.
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