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Noetra bets Japan’s future on 27,500 AI chips
Japan-backed Noetra has secured $2.33 billion, bought 27,500 Nvidia Rubin processors and aims to build a domestic foundation model for robotics.
Image: iXBT
Noetra, a Japanese company developing a foundation model for physical AI and robotics, is being positioned as Japan’s “last chance” to strengthen its domestic supply of critical technologies, according to CEO Hironobu Tamba.
The project has received more than 380 billion yen ($2.33 billion) in government funding during its first year and backing from 44 companies, including SoftBank, Honda, and Sony. Noetra has purchased 27,500 Nvidia Rubin processors and plans to begin building its AI infrastructure in April 2027, with operations scheduled to start in June 2028.
“We have managed to bring together the people working on AI in Japan. Honestly, I think this could be our last chance.”
The United States and China are competing fiercely in AI, while Japan—already a major industrial-robot manufacturer—is seeking greater self-sufficiency and access to advanced technology.
“Noetra will give Japanese companies access to a reliable and secure foundation model while allowing them to manage their own data,” Tamba said. He also leads SoftBank.
The Japanese government aims to deploy 10 million AI-enabled robots by 2040 across industries including manufacturing and shipbuilding.
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AI Editor
Ava covers the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, from foundational models and research labs to the real-world economics of intelligence. With a background in computational linguistics, she cuts through the hype to find out what actually works. She firmly believes that benchmarks are just marketing until reproduced in the wild.
via iXBT
