Japanese artificial intelligence company Sakana AI has raised approximately 30 billion Japanese yen (about $214 million) in Series A funding, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. Founded just a year ago in July 2023 by former Google researchers, Sakana AI's investors include financial institutions such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Nomura Holdings, as well as renowned companies like NEC, Itochu Corporation, KDDI, and Fujitsu.

Sakana AI has secured processing time on Japan's supercomputers and is collaborating with multiple organizations to strengthen Japan's AI ecosystem. This aligns with NVIDIA's recent initiative to support sovereign AI projects in Japan.