Japan joins US Genesis Mission with US$1bn AI science funding drive
The five-year scheme will fund autonomous laboratories and joint projects in quantum technology, fusion and biotech, with each government contributing $500m.
- Japan has become the first country to partner with the United States on its Genesis Mission, a national project to advance scientific research using AI.
- The five-year collaboration involves a combined investment of US$1 billion, with Japan and the US each contributing an equal share of US$500 million.
- The funding will be used to apply artificial intelligence to advanced scientific fields, including quantum technologies, nuclear fusion, and biotechnology.
- A key objective is to create AI-powered autonomous laboratories to accelerate research and development, helping both nations maintain a technological advantage over China.
Japan and the United States on Thursday (June 4) unveiled a five-year plan to invest a combined US$1 billion in scientific technologies that use artificial intelligence.
The framework makes Japan the first country to cooperate with the US national project known as the Genesis Mission.
Through the plan, the two governments aim to strengthen collaboration in advanced scientific fields, including quantum technologies, nuclear fusion, and biotechnologies.
Funding will be shared equally, with Japan and the US each providing US$500 million.
By applying AI to research, the programme is intended to sharply reduce development time, promote international joint research and development, and help both countries maintain their technological advantage over China.
The US Energy Department said the cooperation would link US national laboratories with Japanese institutions, including Riken and the University of Tokyo.
Their joint projects will focus on next-generation autonomous laboratories powered by AI and robotics, allowing complex experiments to be carried out automatically.
Genesis Mission was announced last November by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
It seeks to accelerate research in areas such as energy, biotechnologies, and semiconductors through the use of supercomputers, AI, and scientific data held by the government.
Major US technology companies are also members of the project.
They include OpenAI, the developer of the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT; Anthropic, which has developed the state-of-the-art AI model Claude Mythos; and semiconductor maker Nvidia Corp.
Under the Genesis Mission, the US government plans to double productivity in the science field over the next decade.
The initiative is seen as a national project comparable to the World War II-era Manhattan Project, which developed nuclear weapons, and the Apollo Program, which led to the first human landing on the moon in 1969.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
