In Japan, a revolution in artificial intelligence is quietly emerging. Led by heavyweights in the AI field, David Ha and Llion Jones, SakanaAI has just completed a $127 million funding round, backed by a strong lineup of investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and NEA. Established in July 2023, SakanaAI has quickly become Japan's fastest-growing AI unicorn, with a valuation of $1.1 billion, thanks to its unique entrepreneurial philosophy and top-tier talent.
SakanaAI's vision is to develop AI based on natural principles, believing that every country should have its own intellectual production, which is the essence of "sovereign AI." This concept is not only about technology but also about culture, social intelligence, common sense, and history. As Jensen Huang stated at the World Government Summit, even small countries should strive to develop their own large language models to establish their AI infrastructure.
The team at SakanaAI boasts impressive backgrounds, including experts from top institutions like Google Brain and Stability AI. Their innovative technical approach involves "evolutionary model merging," mimicking the process of natural selection to automatically create AI models, significantly reducing manual input while maintaining high performance.
At the policy level, the Japanese government has provided substantial support to SakanaAI, offering not only financial assistance but also access to supercomputers, and promoting collaboration with giants like NTT and Sony to build Japan's AI ecosystem. SakanaAI is also actively involved in government and defense projects, showcasing its ambitious vision.
Globally, countries like Singapore, India, and the UAE are also actively investing in sovereign AI to protect their native cultures and national security, while gaining a competitive edge in the global AI race. This national-driven AI competition is reshaping the global technological landscape and offering unprecedented development opportunities for related businesses.
In this global AI wave, tech giants like NVIDIA are also actively deploying to promote the development of sovereign AI and reap significant benefits. Predictions suggest that sovereign AI strategies could bring in nearly $10 billion in revenue for NVIDIA, becoming a new growth point.
In summary, sovereign AI has become a new focus of global competition, not only concerning technological development but also national culture, economy, and security. With continuous investment from governments and businesses, we have reason to believe that sovereign AI will play an increasingly important role in the future.