On July 16, foreign media reported that Japan is set to purchase 27,500 of NVIDIA's cutting-edge Rubin chips, with the intention of leveraging them to develop foundational AI models for robotics within the country. The newly formed entity, Noetra, has been allocated a substantial government subsidy of JPY 387.3 billion to spearhead this initiative and to construct a state-of-the-art, large-scale data center. This strategic maneuver is designed to diminish Japan's dependence on overseas technology and bolster its national security framework.

Noetra has outlined plans to unveil its inaugural AI model by March of the following year, with a commitment to ongoing enhancements. Company President Hironobu Tamba emphasized that the overarching objective is to introduce AI models specifically engineered for robotics applications. The cultivation of local physical AI models stands as a pivotal element in Japan's blueprint to emerge as a preeminent global hub for the AI and robotics sectors. The Japanese government has set an ambitious target to secure more than 30% of the worldwide robotics market share by the year 2040.