TOKYO: SoftBank Corp. aims to develop a group of computers with twice the computing power of Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer to create generative artificial intelligence that produces texts and images, President and CEO Junichi Miyakawa said Tuesday.

“Given the recent evolution and growth of generative AI, I think our company should act proactively,” Miyakawa told a regular shareholders meeting, unveiling a plan to invest 10 billion yen to develop the computers.

“I want (SoftBank) to become the best Japanese company in utilizing generative AI,” he added.

In order to promote the development of the company’s own generative AI, the major mobile phone carrier will start in July strengthening a large-scale language model, the fundamental technology of generative AI, Miyakawa said.

Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., the parent of the mobile phone carrier, told the shareholders meeting that he talks with US startup Open AI CEO Sam Altman every week, including via chat.

“I’m a heavy user of (Open AI’s) ChatGPT, having conversations with it every day,” Son said.

JIJI Press