Cohere, a Canada-based enterprise AI startup, has entered into a strategic partnership with Japanese information tech giant Fujitsu. This move comes as companies developing foundation models are expanding their presence across different regions. Cohere has received a significant investment from Fujitsu and will collaborate closely with the technology major to develop large language models (LLMs) and solutions with Japanese language capabilities.
The partnership aims to provide enterprises and startups in Japan with powerful Japanese LLMs that can enhance their products and provide a better experience for customers and employees. Cohere’s CEO, Aidan Gomez, highlighted the importance of meeting enterprises where they are and offering LLM capabilities in their preferred languages.
One of the LLMs that will be developed as part of this collaboration is tentatively named ‘Takane,’ based on Cohere’s advanced Command R+ model. Fujitsu, known for its expertise in Japanese language training and fine-tuning technologies, will leverage Cohere’s models to develop adaptable AI solutions for specific business needs.
Fujitsu has a history of launching technologies at the intersection of data and AI, including a knowledge graph system and AI auditing technology. By combining these technologies with Cohere’s frontier models, Fujitsu aims to boost productivity and efficiency for local enterprises across various functions.
Under the partnership, Fujitsu will be the exclusive provider of Japanese language models and services developed with Cohere. The Takane model will be made available for enterprises’ private environments through Fujitsu’s Kozuchi cloud-based AI platform in September 2024. Fujitsu plans to use its Data Intelligence PaaS and Fujitsu Uvance to bring these joint solutions to customers.
While not as high-profile as setting up a dedicated AI hub, like OpenAI did in Japan, Cohere’s partnership with Fujitsu gives the startup access to a broader customer base in Japan. This strategy of partnering with established companies in the region has been adopted by other AI startups, including Perplexity’s partnership with Softbank.
Although Cohere has not disclosed the names of the Japanese companies it is working with, this strategic partnership positions the startup for growth in the Japanese market. By combining Cohere’s AI models with Fujitsu’s language expertise, the collaboration aims to provide innovative AI solutions tailored to the specific needs of Japanese enterprises.