Google Invests in Sakana AI to Boost Gemini's Presence in Japan's Enterprise Market

Google Invests in Sakana AI to Boost Gemini's Presence in Japan

Sakana seeks to work more closely with the Defense Ministry and other government agencies, and may require more capital if it sees success in these areas. Google joined Japanese startup Sakana AI's roster of backers in a move that bolsters chatbot Gemini's presence in a country eager to speed up artificial intelligence adoption. The investment follows a $135 million Series B funding round that valued the startup at about $2.6 billion last year. Sakana did not disclose an investment sum. Through the deal, the US company gains the help of one of Japan's most valuable startups to promote Gemini in a cash-rich corporate landscape where it trails OpenAI's ChatGPT. At the same time, Sakana is able to tap Alphabet Inc.'s language models to develop products and enhance reliability in critical services, according to David Ha, the startup's co-founder and chief executive officer. "Having more access to more foundation models, especially from Google, will improve the performance of our products," said Ha, a former Google Brain researcher, in an interview. The AI race in corporate Japan remains wide open because of a reluctance to change business models that -- in some cases -- have been built over decades. But backed by the likes of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Sakana has made inroads into the country's finance sector, winning service contracts from MUFG Bank Ltd. and Daiwa Securities Group Inc. to build AI tools. AI Startups Sakana, Turing Get Funds as Japan's Attraction Grow Nvidia Joins $100 Million Funding for Year-Old Japan AI Startup Google Alums Go Big in Japan With Months-Old Startup Sakana AI Two Ex-Google Brain Staffers Hatch AI Startup Inspired by Fish Founded in 2023, Sakana quickly won a government-backed grant in a country eager to develop AI built on its own language and not reliant on US companies. The startup seeks to work more closely with the Defense Ministry and other government agencies this year, on top of expanding its enterprise client base and growing overseas, Ha said, adding that Sakana may not be able to use foreign models on certain projects. "If we do make progress in both defense and enterprises, if we do see success in these, we could require more capital," he said.

Google Invests in Sakana AI to Expand Gemini Chatbot Adoption in Japan

Google Teams Up With Sakana AI to Drive Enterprise Gemini Use as Japanese Banks and Government Embrace Local AI Google has invested in Japanese startup Sakana AI to increase the adoption of the Gemini chatbot in Japan. The move highlights Google's focus on expanding artificial intelligence services in one of Asia's most important technology markets. The company has not revealed the scale of investment, but the partnership holds strategic value for both sides. The investment comes after Sakana AI raised $135 million in a Series B funding round last year. This round valued the startup at nearly $2.6 billion. Sakana AI has emerged as one of Japan's most valuable and fast-growing AI companies since its launch in 2023.