USA – NVIDIA and SoftBank Corp. have announced a new collaboration to develop Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer, aimed at enhancing the country’s AI and 5G capabilities.
The partnership, revealed during the NVIDIA AI Summit Japan on Tuesday, will combine AI-driven technology with telecom infrastructure to fuel breakthroughs in various sectors, including telecommunications, healthcare, and robotics.
SoftBank will utilize NVIDIA’s Blackwell platform initially, transitioning to the Grace Blackwell platform for the new supercomputer.
“We are leveraging the power of NVIDIA’s AI technology to create a transformative AI-5G network that will revolutionize the telecom industry,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA.
The supercomputer will be integral to the deployment of AI-driven telecom services, marking a significant step towards new revenue streams for telecom providers.
The new technology promises to deliver substantial returns to telecom companies. According to the companies, for every US $1 invested in capital expenditure on this AI-5G integration, telecom businesses could see up to US $5 in AI inference income.
This development is expected to accelerate the growth of telecom companies, positioning them at the forefront of AI-powered innovations.
In addition to AI-5G integration, SoftBank’s plans include developing the DGX SuperPOD system, which will serve as Japan’s leading AI supercomputer.
This system will support local companies, universities, and research labs, especially for generative AI and large-scale language model projects.
The collaboration also focuses on creating an AI marketplace, powered by NVIDIA’s AI Enterprise software, to promote AI adoption across multiple industries.
“Our goal is to make Japan a hub for AI-driven developments across various sectors,” said a SoftBank representative.
A key feature of this partnership is the integration of NVIDIA’s AI-RAN technology, which transforms telecom networks by enabling them to handle both AI and telecom workloads concurrently.
AI-RAN was successfully tested in Kanagawa, Japan, where SoftBank demonstrated carrier-grade 5G speeds while running AI inference tasks.
This breakthrough promises to reshape the telecom landscape, offering high-speed connectivity alongside powerful AI capabilities.
As AI continues to evolve, its application across industries, particularly healthcare, is expected to address significant challenges.
With the global healthcare system facing a shortage of healthcare professionals, AI and technology innovations offer a way to meet growing demands.
AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently is already transforming healthcare delivery models, with cloud computing playing a critical role in making AI systems more accessible and cost-effective.
In a broader context, NVIDIA’s market-leading GPUs have experienced a surge in demand, driven by the rise of generative AI applications.
The company, which designs around 75% of the world’s AI accelerators, has seen its earnings soar from US $2.3 billion in the first half of 2022 to US $31.5 billion in the same period in 2024.
As the demand for AI-driven solutions grows, NVIDIA’s role in powering industries with its cutting-edge GPU technology has solidified its position as a leader in the AI space.
With its upcoming quarterly earnings report expected on November 20, analysts are optimistic about NVIDIA’s continued growth, with price targets rising and the company’s valuation nearing US $1.5 trillion.
