Jensen Huang, Meets Japanese Prime Minister “AI Will Transform All Industries”… Indicates Strengthening Cooperation with Japan

Jensen Huang NVIDIA CEO visiting the Japanese Prime Minister's Office on the 21st and handing a souvenir to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (Source: EPA)

Jensen Huang, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NVIDIA, held a meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Japanese Prime Minister's residence on the 21st, discussing industry innovation through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and strengthening cooperation with Japan. CEO Huang stated at the meeting, “AI will innovatively change all industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, education, and agriculture,” and he said AI technology could create a 'revolution' for Japanese companies in the future.

Prime Minister Ishiba, at the meeting, said, “To utilize robotics technology for the happiness of humanity, US-Japan cooperation is essential,” and expressed his desire to hear opinions on how the Japanese government can best support this. He further emphasized digital transformation in local areas and mentioned the necessity for regional innovation using generative AI.

CEO Huang also drew attention to the economic changes AI technology will bring. He stated, “AI is technology that requires enormous energy, so Japan needs to build infrastructure that can accommodate it,” and emphasized, “This investment will ultimately create new employment and industrial opportunities.”

This visit to Japan took place immediately after CEO Huang visited China amid US-China trade tensions. With the recent restriction by the US government on public exports of NVIDIA's H20 AI chip, NVIDIA is interpreted to be seeking new market acquisition and realigning its Northeast Asia strategy. Earlier, CEO Huang expressed his intentions to cooperate with the Chinese market during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

NVIDIA is maintaining a close cooperation with the SoftBank Group, led by Chairman Son Jeong-eui, to expand AI infrastructure within Japan. SoftBank recently announced plans to build Japan's highest-performing AI supercomputer equipped with NVIDIA's next-generation 'Blackwell' semiconductor, and both sides are discussing several joint projects, including AI network (AI LAN) development.

Jensen Huang drew attention by appearing in a suit instead of his usual black leather jacket at the meeting, and there was speculation of specific discussions on AI data center or supercomputer infrastructure cooperation as NVIDIA's GPU was displayed on the meeting table.

Prime Minister Ishiba has recently been meeting leaders of global AI corporations, including Lisa Su, AMD CEO, to expand cooperation for the development of Japan's AI industry and technology infrastructure. This meeting with CEO Huang, in the same context, shows that Japan is preparing for a full-fledged AI economic era.