On September 7, Japanese startup Preferred Networks is planning to go public to mass-produce its chips, highlighting the rising cost and scale requirements in the global AI race. As one of Japan's few privately held companies valued at over a billion dollars, the company is accelerating the custom design of semiconductors used to run AI models. Chief Executive Officer Daisuke Okanohara said on Monday that the company plans to deliver samples of its latest chip to customers in the first half of next year, with a commercial release for domestic and international corporate clients scheduled for December 2027, aiming to achieve profitability and go public within three years. Okanohara pointed out that to meet market demand for alternatives to NVIDIA's AI accelerators, the company needs to scale up to help global clients reduce procurement and operational costs and decrease reliance on U.S. companies.