Tokyo-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, Sakana AI, has recently secured $30 million in a seed financing round. Led by Lux Capital and with participation from Khosla Ventures, the funding aims to establish Tokyo as a significant AI hub. The company, founded by two prominent former Google researchers, David Ha and Llion Jones, aims to revolutionize current AI systems by developing a large network of smaller models that communicate and work collaboratively.
Unlike traditional AI models, Sakana AI seeks to create more adaptable and effective models for the Asian market. Partner Brandon Reeves from Lux Capital highlights the under-exploration of Asian character-based languages in the field of AI. With most large language models developed for Western languages, Sakana AI aims to tailor its models to function optimally in Asian languages.
This seed funding comes as a result of the increasing interest and support for AI startups led by former Google researchers. The founders of Sakana AI, Ha and Jones, have previously made significant contributions to the field of AI. Jones played a pivotal role in developing the “transformer” deep learning architecture, while Ha has worked as the head of research at Stability AI and a Google Brain researcher.
Lux Capital’s investment reflects its focus on deep technology ventures, including aerospace, AI, and biology. The firm’s confidence in Sakana AI’s potential to drive innovation and transform the AI landscape in Tokyo is evident. The funding will provide Sakana AI with the necessary resources to further advance its research and development efforts.
With this substantial investment, Sakana AI is poised to make a lasting impact on the field of AI. By seeking to improve existing AI systems through collaboration and language customization, the company is spearheading a new era of intelligent technology. As Tokyo takes the spotlight as an emerging AI hub, the global community eagerly awaits the groundbreaking advancements that Sakana AI and its founders will bring to the industry.
The source of the article is from the blog regiozottegem.be