NVIDIA and Japan Partnership: A New AI Era for Industrial Robots Begins

02:28 / 20.07.2026·83·Technology

The two-day visit of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to Tokyo has marked a turning point in Japan's technology ecosystem. As a result of this visit, strategic agreements were reached between NVIDIA and Japanese industrial giants to create a national AI factory, collaborate in robotics, and supply components for chips. According to ixbt.com, this partnership aims to restore Japan's position in the global industry using AI. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports.

Jensen Huang emphasized that the next phase of AI technology will involve factories, robots, and physical machines. With its rich manufacturing history, Japan is the most suitable place to lead in this "physical AI" era. While a $5 million investment by Sega 30 years ago saved NVIDIA from bankruptcy, today both sides need each other to win the global technological race.

Noetra Project and Sovereign AI Strategy

Japan does not want its factories and robots to be dependent on US or Chinese AI systems. To this end, the government has brought together 44 local companies, including SoftBank, Sony, NEC, and Honda, to launch the Noetra project. Official Tokyo plans to invest 1 trillion yen (approximately $6.2 billion) in this sector over the next five years. The goal is to create its own software "brain" to control machines.

Although the software is local, the hardware required to create it will be supplied by NVIDIA. The American company is building a massive data center called the "Vera Rubin AI factory," expected to launch in 2028. This center will be equipped with 13,750 Vera CPUs and 27,500 Rubin GPUs, with a power capacity of 140 MW.

Revolution in Robotics and Automotive Industry

Industrial giants such as Fanuc, Yaskawa, Kawasaki Heavy, and Hitachi have begun creating a new generation of robots based on NVIDIA's Cosmos models. NVIDIA introduced the Cosmos 3 Edge model, which runs on specialized Jetson Thor chips, allowing robots to make complex decisions directly on the device without cloud servers. According to Jensen Huang, this is an opportunity for Japan to reinvent its industry.

In the automotive sector, Toyota is further expanding its partnership with NVIDIA. Toyota will use the NVIDIA Drive platform in its next-generation vehicles. This system includes not only smart features that assist the driver but also systems for simulating production lines and analyzing traffic. Toyota is more cautious than companies like Tesla and Waymo in this regard, following a path of automation while maintaining driver control.

Japan's long-term strategy includes the following goals:

Deploying 10 million AI-equipped robots across 18 different sectors by 2040;
Capturing more than 30% of the global AI robotics market;
Attracting a total of $65 billion in investment from the public and private sectors.

Against the backdrop of a shrinking workforce, AI for Japan is not just a technological achievement, but a matter of economic survival. Jensen Huang's visit and the agreements reached with the government have opened a new chapter in the digitalization of Japanese industry. Although Tokyo is striving for independence, for now, this independence is being built on American chips and NVIDIA technologies.