SoftBank and OpenAI Partner to Form SB OpenAI Japan

OpenAI and the SoftBank Group on Monday announced a partnership to develop and market Advanced Enterprise AI – Cristal intelligence – which will securely integrate the systems and data of individual enterprises in a way that is customised specifically for each company.

SoftBank Group Corp. will spend $3 billion annually to deploy OpenAI’s solutions across its group companies, making it the first company in the world to integrate Cristal intelligence at scale, as well as deploying existing tools like ChatGPT Enterprise to employees across the entire group.

Furthermore, to accelerate the deployment of Cristal intelligence customised for Japan-based companies, OpenAI and the SoftBank Group have agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) company ‘SB OpenAI Japan.’ This JV will market Cristal intelligence exclusively to major companies in Japan.

SB OpenAI Japan, which will be 50:50 owned by OpenAI and a company established by SoftBank Group Corp. and SoftBank Corp., will be consolidated to SoftBank Corp. The JV will serve as a springboard for introducing AI agents tailored to the unique needs of Japanese enterprises while setting a model for global adoption.

To fully maximise the benefits of AI, it is essential for enterprises to be able to conduct additional training and fine-tuning in their own IT environments.

Transforming Business and Services

This JV will market Cristal intelligence exclusively to major companies in Japan to meet this need, and enable clients to securely train their own data in a secure environment and build AI agents that are fully integrated with their own IT systems. By automating and autonomising all of their tasks and workflows, clients will be able to transform their businesses and services, creating new value.

OpenAI will provide its advanced AI research, technology, and engineering support to SB OpenAI Japan, while SoftBank Corp. will second its sales staff and engineers to contribute its extensive Japan-based network, operational expertise, and business insights to scale these solutions effectively.

SoftBank Group Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son Advanced Enterprise AI that is customised specifically for each company, to the market in a big way.

“This initiative will not only transform the way SoftBank Group operates but also revolutionise the way companies work in Japan and around the globe. SoftBank Group is fully committed to leveraging the new products across our entire organisation and utilise our great partnership with OpenAI to drive the AI Revolution forward,” Son added.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that this partnership with SoftBank will accelerate our vision for bringing transformative AI to some of the world’s most influential companies—starting with Japan.

SoftBank President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa said that to realise their long-term vision of building next-generation social infrastructure with the aim of implementing AI into society, SoftBank Corp. has been promoting various initiatives, including the buildout of distributed AI data centres and Japan top-level AI computing platforms.