Noetra Launches R&D for Japan-Developed Multimodal Foundation Model for AI Robots
A consortium led by Noetra, with investments from 44 companies including Sony and Honda, has begun full-scale R&D on a Japanese multimodal foundation model for physical AI and robots.
- 44
- 27,500
- June 2028
- Fiscal 2030
What Happened
Noetra Corp., along with core members Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC, and Honda, has launched full-scale research and development for a Japan-developed multimodal foundation model. The model will serve as the foundation for AI-enabled robots and physical AI, developed in collaboration with partners engaged in sovereign AI in Japan. Noetra has received investments from a total of 44 companies and organizations across various industries, all sharing its vision.
44 companies and organizations
Including Sony, SoftBank, NEC, Honda, and many others from manufacturing and AI sectors.
Build a reasoning foundation model for AI agents and natural language processing with advanced Japanese language understanding.
Develop an omni-modal foundation model capable of processing text, images, video, and audio.
Achieve 'Real-world Native AI' that understands physical properties and is designed for real-world environments.
“For Japan to become a global leader in physical AI, it is essential to develop multimodal foundation models that will strengthen the nation's industrial competitiveness while helping address societal challenges and creating new value.”
Construction begins for AI computing infrastructure equipped with approximately 27,500 NVIDIA Rubin GPUs.
Infrastructure expected to begin operations, accelerating model development.
- Sony Group Corporation
- SoftBank Corp.
- NEC Corporation
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Why this matters
Japan aims to develop its own sovereign AI foundation model to reduce reliance on foreign technology. The model will power AI-enabled robots and physical AI, potentially boosting industrial competitiveness. Affected stakeholders include Japanese manufacturers, AI developers, and society as AI becomes embedded in real-world environments.
Terms in This Story
- multimodal foundation model
- An AI model that can process and understand multiple types of data, such as text, images, video, and audio, simultaneously.
- physical AI
- Artificial intelligence that interacts with the physical world, often through robots or autonomous systems.
- sovereign AI
- AI systems developed and controlled within a specific country to ensure data security and independence from foreign technology.
- agentic AI
- AI systems designed to take actions autonomously based on understanding and reasoning, rather than just generating responses.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.