Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida secured a $2.9 billion investment in his country from U.S. tech giant Microsoft Corp. in the area of artificial intelligence, as he started off on Tuesday a series of engagements during his official visit to Washington.
During a meeting with Kishida in the U.S. capital, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed the company’s largest-ever investment in the Asian country, which includes measures to upgrade its data centers that are essential for AI use and to bolster cloud computing.
Kishida arrived in Washington on Monday for the first state visit by a Japanese leader in nine years, with the two countries deepening economic and security relations amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
He told Smith it is important for Japanese companies to work with global firms such as Microsoft, expressing hope that the U.S. company will continue to help boost the development of AI in the Asian nation, the Japanese government said.
Microsoft is planning to open a research base in Tokyo, its first in Japan, in a bid to promote research in the fields of AI and robotics, company sources said, adding it will improve equipment at its facilities in the country by introducing advanced semiconductors.
Later Tuesday, Kishida told business leaders at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that Tokyo and Washington can lead the international community toward stability and prosperity.
Kishida added Japan will join hands with the United States to accelerate global economic growth in critical technologies, including semiconductors, AI, quantum computing and clean energy, by expanding mutual investment. Source: Kyodo News
