SoftBank and OpenAI Launch Joint Venture in Japan, Unveiling Cristal AI Service

38 Sources

Share

SoftBank and OpenAI have formed a 50-50 joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan, introducing the Cristal AI service for enterprise use. This collaboration marks a significant step in AI advancement in Japan, with implications for global AI development and competition.

News article

SoftBank and OpenAI Form Strategic Partnership

SoftBank Group and OpenAI have announced a significant collaboration, forming a 50-50 joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan. This partnership was unveiled at a major AI briefing in Tokyo, attended by executives from 500 top companies

1

2

. The event featured SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who introduced their new AI tool, "Cristal Intelligence," designed for enterprise use

1

.

Cristal Intelligence: A New AI Powerhouse

Cristal Intelligence is positioned as an AI agent capable of autonomously analyzing internal documents, codes, meeting notes, and more

1

. Son, demonstrating the tool's potential with a symbolic blue crystal ball, explained that Cristal could be utilized for various business functions including planning, marketing, email management, and deciphering old source codes

2

3

.

Substantial Investment and Rollout Plans

SoftBank Group has committed to investing US$3 billion annually into SB OpenAI Japan

1

. This significant funding will primarily support the integration of Cristal Intelligence across SoftBank's subsidiaries, including SoftBank Telecom, Arm, LY, ZOZO, PayPay, and others

1

3

. The initial rollout of Cristal will focus on Son's own SoftBank Group companies

2

.

Global AI Initiatives and Partnerships

This collaboration is part of a broader initiative called the "Stargate" project, which involves SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle. Announced in January in the presence of US President Donald Trump, the project aims to invest US$50 billion in AI development in the US over the next four years

1

4

. Son has indicated that Stargate will expand beyond the US into Japan and other nations

4

.

Addressing Data Sovereignty and Security Concerns

SB OpenAI Japan plans to establish data centers in Japan to ensure the safety of AI inference and training processes

1

. This move addresses growing concerns about data sovereignty and reduces dependency on foreign technologies. While Cristal Intelligence's training and development will remain US-based, the collaborative structure aims to mitigate risks of over-reliance on foreign AI technologies

1

.

New AI Capabilities and Competition

Altman introduced "deep research," a new capability allowing ChatGPT to perform more complex tasks, such as preparing reports by browsing the web and finding thousands of sources rapidly

3

5

. This feature will be available in Japan in the Japanese language

3

. However, the AI landscape is evolving rapidly, with Chinese newcomer DeepSeek announcing very smart but low-cost AI models, potentially disrupting the market

4

5

.

Challenges and Uncertainties

Despite the excitement surrounding SB OpenAI Japan's services, Japanese companies remain cautious about entrusting sensitive data to external providers

1

. The widespread adoption of these AI services is still uncertain, as businesses may be hesitant to rely on a single provider, especially given potential difficulties in switching to other generative AI services in the future

1

. Additionally, the costs and challenges in the adoption process of SB OpenAI Japan's services remain unclear

1

.

TheOutpost.ai

Your Daily Dose of Curated AI News

Don’t drown in AI news. We cut through the noise - filtering, ranking and summarizing the most important AI news, breakthroughs and research daily. Spend less time searching for the latest in AI and get straight to action.

Β© 2025 Triveous Technologies Private Limited
Instagram logo
LinkedIn logo