NVIDIA-backed Japanese AI company Sakana raises $214 million, with Nomura Holdings and others participating

Odaily Odaily News: Japanese artificial intelligence company Sakana AI raised approximately 30 billion yen (approximately US$214 million) in its Series A financing, with a company valuation of US$1.5 billion. Sakana AI was founded in July 2023 by former Google researchers, just one year after its founding. Investors in this round of financing include financial institutions such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Nomura Holdings, as well as well-known companies such as NEC, Itochu Corporation, KDDI, and Fujitsu. Sakana AI has obtained processing time on Japanese supercomputers and is working with multiple organizations to strengthen Japan's AI ecosystem. This echoes NVIDIA's recent plan to support Japan's sovereign AI projects.