Sony a Core Member of Expanding SoftBank-Led National AI Venture

Sony Group holds a major stake in "Japan AI Foundation Model Development."

SoftBank leads the new venture to build a large-scale domestic artificial intelligence.

NEC and Honda join the consortium as core members.

The group develops sovereign AI to compete with models from the U.S. and China.

The technology targets "physical AI" for use in robotics and manufacturing.

Fujitsu, Asahi Kasei, and Yaskawa Electric reportedly consider investing in the venture.

The firm leverages Japanese manufacturing data to improve productivity and address labor shortages.

The company requested Japanese government funding to accelerate development.