Japan steps up sovereign AI ambitions as Noetra launches multimodal AI project, plans infrastructure of 27,500 Nvidia Rubin GPUs

Noetra has launched full-scale R&D for a Japan-developed multimodal foundation model, a move that could shape the future of AI robots, industrial automation, and so-called physical AI worldwide. The project highlights Japan's push for sovereign AI, with implications for how countries build and control advanced AI infrastructure and data.

Noetra, together with core member companies and investors Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC Corporation, and Honda Motor, said the effort will be carried out with a broad network of partners involved in sovereign AI development and application in Japan.

The company said it has attracted investment from 44 companies and organizations, spanning AI developers and businesses across multiple industries, led by manufacturers seeking to expand AI adoption. To support development, Noetra has created an R&D structure centered on engineers seconded from its core members, as well as from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Preferred Networks, and other participating organizations.

Noetra plans to begin model development using AI computing infrastructure operated by Japan-based providers. In collaboration with Nvidia, it also intends to build additional infrastructure equipped with about 27,500 Nvidia Rubin GPUs. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2027, with operations expected to start in June 2028.

The company aims to develop the project in stages, beginning with a reasoning foundation model by fiscal 2026 that will support AI agents and natural language processing, including Japanese-language understanding, logical reasoning, and instruction-following. By fiscal 2028, it plans to build an omnimodal foundation model capable of processing text, images, video, and audio. By fiscal 2030, it aims to advance toward "Real-world Native AI," designed to understand physical properties such as spatial awareness and to operate in real-world environments.

Noetra said the models will be made available externally in stages, depending on research progress and practical deployment.

Company executives framed the initiative as part of Japan's broader industrial and economic strategy. Noetra President and CEO Hironobu Tamba said the effort is intended to strengthen industrial competitiveness and help address social challenges. Sony, SoftBank, NEC, and Honda all said the project could support domestic AI capacity, economic security, and the real-world deployment of advanced AI across sectors including mobility, robotics, semiconductors, and entertainment.

Source: Noetra, July 2026

Article edited by Jack Wu