SANTA CLARA — Tokyo’s position as a world-class AI hub was showcased at the recent NVIDIA AI Summit Japan, where NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son engaged in an insightful fireside chat, discussing AI’s transformative potential and Japan’s emergence as a leader in the field.
From lifelike digital humans connecting with audiences in real-time to autonomous systems streamlining complex logistics, Tokyo’s startup ecosystem is thriving. AI-driven language tools are also breaking down communication barriers, reflecting the cutting-edge innovation of Japan’s tech landscape.
At the heart of this momentum is NVIDIA’s Inception program, which has propelled over 370 AI-focused startups, supported by a community of 250,000 NVIDIA developers. This year’s AI Summit Japan highlighted these achievements, shedding light on the country’s drive for “sovereign AI” and its advancements in the field.
The summit featured discussions with leaders from METI, the University of Tokyo, and other influential organizations, underscoring how Tokyo’s dynamic startup scene—anchored by its prestigious academic institutions, global tech giants, and tech-savvy residents—has cemented the city as a global AI innovation hub.
Japan’s creative industries, from anime to manga, have captured the world’s imagination, and now AI is adding new dimensions to this legacy. A standout example is startup AiHUB’s digital celebrity, Sali. Utilizing NVIDIA’s Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), AiHUB enhanced Sali with sophisticated lip-sync and expressive capabilities, cutting costs and increasing her emotional relatability. The integration places Sali in an elite class of digital beings who connect with audiences on a personal level, redefining media engagement.
Japan’s embrace of software development kits (SDKs) marks a pivotal shift. Once approached with caution, SDKs are now driving innovation in real-time AI solutions. The NVIDIA NeMo platform is empowering companies like Kotoba Technologies to create groundbreaking language tools for real-time speech recognition, transforming multilingual communication. Supported by a Japanese government grant, Kotoba’s solutions, already in use across call centers and for live transcription, underscore the ingenuity at the heart of Japan’s AI ecosystem.
APTO, another key player, is optimizing data annotation with NVIDIA’s NeMo Curator, a crucial step in refining large language models (LLMs). APTO’s tools enhance data quality for major clients like RIKEN, Ricoh, and ORIX, boosting AI model accuracy and reducing training time—critical for high-performance applications.
Cross-sector collaboration powers Japan’s AI advancements. Companies like ugo and Asilla are tackling security and labor challenges with autonomous systems, building solutions on NVIDIA’s DeepStream and Triton Inference Server SDKs. Asilla’s anomaly detection technology, initially for security, is finding applications in healthcare and retail. These NVIDIA-powered systems are already deployed in high-stakes environments, enhancing real-time responses to security threats.
Underlying these advancements is a robust support system. UTokyo IPC, the University of Tokyo’s venture capital arm, accelerates early-stage innovations, bringing together academia and industry through its 1stRound accelerator. Similarly, Osaka’s Innovation Hub (OIH) extends support to startups beyond Tokyo, with coworking spaces and resources to speed up project commercialization.
Together, through NVIDIA’s advanced computing technologies and the Inception program, Japan’s AI startups are connecting with a global community of innovators, positioning the country as a fast-growing epicenter of AI-driven change.
