Expectations and Prospects for the Realization of Physical AI

The event opened with a video message from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

She stated that
“Physical AI will be essential for advancing manufacturing sectors that are adopting robotics, such as information and communications, defense, and aerospace. Moreover, it represents a technological field that constitutes an essential part of Japan’s winning strategy, as the data accumulated across our industrial sites— in manufacturing, in logistics, in infrastructure — can be a source of Japanese competitiveness. A culture of craftsmanship, a passion for precision, and commitment to quality: these are the strengths of Japan's factory floor. Building on this strong foundation and drawing together Japanese expertise while connecting with brilliant minds across the globe, we must give rise to an AI made in Japan that the world can trust.”
“My Cabinet has set out the Japan’s Growth Strategy. Guided by our Public-Private Investment Roadmap for 17 strategic fields, we are accelerating strategic investment here at home. In Physical AI, including semiconductors, we anticipate public and private investment of 80 trillion yen by fiscal year 2040. The first step on that journey, building foundational models for Physical AI, begins today with the launch of the FRONTia Project.”
“At a time when reliance on foreign AI has posed challenges for AI development here at home, I find it reassuring to see the platform for a domestic model taking shape in the field of Physical AI. Let us build trustworthy Physical AI here in Japan and launch it into the world. Let us make FRONTia the banner of Japan’s resurgence.”

Link to Japanese Page
（Link: Prime Minister‘s Office of Japan HP）

Next to take the stage was Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa.

He stated that
“Now, in this age of big data combined with AI, the key to advancing AI transformation, or AX, across a wide range of sectors is field data. In the age of big data and AI, Japan’s path to success lies in the fact that we are both a super-aged society and a disaster-prone nation. Our society is older, and we face more disasters than almost any other country. That is where the data lies. What may look like a disadvantage can, in fact, become our path to success. I have made this point time and again.”
“Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Japan is undertaking an unprecedented decommissioning effort under extraordinarily harsh conditions. Sensors and cameras must be carefully adapted and fine-tuned to operate in high-radiation environments. The operational data generated there is itself invaluable big data. That allows us to accumulate vast amounts of Physical AI data. Japan is also home to world-leading manufacturing sites. These are the kinds of strengths Japan possesses. Key fields include healthcare for older adults, disaster response, labor-saving solutions for manufacturing, and the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Addressing these social challenges by harnessing field data from each setting and Physical AI that operates in the real world is essential. I also believe this will become a powerful driver of Japan’s economic growth.”
“We will build a highly trusted multimodal foundation model capable of understanding the real world. To that end, exceptional engineers have come together in a consortium led by Noetra Corp. and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). A new challenge is beginning, led by outstanding engineers from Japan and around the world. I sincerely hope that every engineer working on this project will be able to perform to the very best of their abilities. I wholeheartedly welcome even more people from diverse backgrounds who share the passion to learn from one another about cutting-edge technologies and needs, take on difficult challenges, and open new frontiers for a world where people and AI coexist.”

Special Speech by Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA

A special speech was then delivered by Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA.

He described AI as the key technology that will power the next Industrial Revolution. He also expressed his high expectations for Japan’s competitiveness in the fields of manufacturing technology and robotics, in which the country has many years of experience. He also touched on the significance of collaboration between industry and research institutions aiming to realize physical AI, and shared his hopes for its future development.

Regarding Japan’s industrial expertise, he emphasized, “It represents Japan’s national intellect and is a national asset. Through concepts such as takumi [craftsmanship], kaizen [continuous improvement], kanban [method to manage work and inventory], and genba [the actual site], Japan has built up this industrial knowledge as an integral part of daily life over many generations. Japan must not lose this expertise.” He went on to affirm the importance of Japan developing its own AI infrastructure, stating, “Japan should not outsource its national intellectual capital. Japan itself must build, develop, protect, and deploy Japan AI. Physical AI is the foundation of the next industrial revolution, and its future should be shaped in Japan.” He also announced that NVIDIA will provide Japan with the world’s first full-stack AI platform, designed for the national AI infrastructure and expressed the company's commitment to supporting Japan's unique infrastructure system. He concluded by saying, “Japan’s industrial expertise will evolve into Japan AI. The next industrial revolution will begin right here in Japan,” expressing high hopes for the development of an AI infrastructure originating in Japan.

World-renowned AI Researchers Share Their Expectations

Yutaka Matsuo, chair of the Expert Committee on Artificial Intelligence Strategy and professor at the University of Tokyo, addressed the audience, while, world-renowned AI researchers and Turing Award laureates Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio, contributed video messages. They shared their insights on the future of industry that physical AI is paving the way for, as well as the significant opportunities in the manufacturing and robotics sectors—areas in which Japan has a competitive advantage.

Yutaka Matsuo, Chair of the Expert Committee on Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Professor at the University of Tokyo

In his speech, Yutaka Matsuo noted that although Japan has made steady progress since the advent of generative AI—including expanding GPU infrastructure, training AI development professionals, and establishing AI-related policies—the country still faces challenges when competing with the world’s most advanced models.

He went on to state that physical AI is “an extremely important issue for Japan, which is facing a labor shortage” and emphasized that it is an area in which Japan can capitalize on its strengths in sectors such as robotics and manufacturing. He added that it is “truly a battle we cannot afford to lose.”

Yann LeCun, Co-founder of AMI Labs and Professor at New York University

In his message, Yann LeCun emphasized the importance of physical AI as the next major challenge for the field. He also noted Japan’s potential to lead the world due to its strengths in manufacturing technology, industrial robots, and engineering, and expressed his hope that Japan’s initiatives would send an important message to the world.

Yoshua Bengio, Founder of LawZero / Founder and Scientific Advisor of Mila

Discussing the importance of developing safe and reliable AI, Yoshua Bengio also pointed out that, given its strengths in robotics and manufacturing, Japan is well-placed to spearhead research and development in physical AI. He also expressed his hope that international collaboration will drive further technological advancements.

The Physical AI Ecosystem That FRONTia Aims to Create

Next, Satoshi Nohara, director-general of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), explained GENIAC’s achievements to date, as well as the role of FRONTia in building on them.

He outlined the overall vision of AI-driven industrial transformation (AX: AI Transformation), which we aim to achieve, and the “physical AI ecosystem” that serves as its cornerstone.
He then explained the rationale behind the name of FRONTia. The project’s overall structure was followed by an introduction to our partner companies for training data and international collaborators for advanced R&D. Finally, he presented the broader policy framework for the social implementation of AI robotics, including the FRONTia project. He shared our vision for deploying 10 million robots domestically by FY 2040.

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Closing Remarks by NEDO

Tamotsu Saito, chairman of NEDO, concluded the event.

Regarding the environment surrounding the development of generative AI in Japan, Tamotsu Saito explained, “Although Japan had previously fallen behind AI leaders such as the U.S. and China, it has made steady progress over the past two years in terms of preparing computing resources and environments for development, developing professionals, and enhancing technical capabilities, as well as building datasets and implementing AI in society.” He went on to say, “The pieces are falling into place, and policy is moving on to the next stage. Now is the time to step up our efforts to realize physical AI.”

He also emphasized that the key to the success of GENIAC and FRONTia lies in “bringing together Japan’s strengths and fostering collaboration with overseas research institutions and companies.” NEDO, he said, intends to continue playing a central role in connecting diverse players from industry, academia, and government, while vigorously supporting the achievement of project goals, the generation of results, and the promotion of collaboration among businesses.

Introducing GENIAC

A panel exhibition was held at the venue, featuring projects for making data AI-Ready, for building data ecosystems, and for developing foundation models. Many visitors stopped to view the panels, showing a keen interest in the project content and initiatives. Throughout the event, there were lively exchanges between attendees and stakeholders in front of these panels, with discussions focusing on the future use of AI and opportunities for collaboration. This made it a vibrant, interactive forum from start to finish.

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