SoftBank and OpenAI Partner to Boost Enterprise AI with Crystal Intelligence

SoftBank Group Corp. and OpenAI have announced an ambitious partnership to develop and market Cristal Intelligence, a new advanced enterprise artificial intelligence designed to securely integrate into the systems and data of each company. With an annual investment of $3 billion from SoftBank, the Japanese company will become the first in the world to adopt this technology on a large scale, implementing tools such as ChatGPT Enterprise throughout its organization.

Additionally, as part of the agreement, a joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan will be created to exclusively market Cristal Intelligence to large companies in Japan. This move aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence within the Japanese business ecosystem and establish a replicable model on a global scale.

Transforming Work with Advanced Artificial Intelligence

Since 2024, OpenAI has developed AI models in the o1 series, capable of reasoning. These models are expected to evolve by 2025 into autonomous artificial intelligence agents capable of performing tasks independently after receiving instructions.

AI agents will revolutionize knowledge work by automating tasks such as generating financial reports, drafting documents, and managing customer inquiries. With this technology, professionals will be able to focus on creative and strategic tasks, optimizing business productivity.

SoftBank Group, OpenAI, Arm, and SoftBank Corp. share the vision that these agents can enhance the efficiency of knowledge workers and address complex problems. Cristal Intelligence will lay the groundwork for even more advanced systems capable of learning and adapting to the needs of each company.

SoftBank Bets on AI Across All Its Divisions

SoftBank will implement Cristal Intelligence across all its subsidiaries, accelerating the development of artificial intelligence agents and other advanced systems. Under the agreement, group companies like Arm and SoftBank Corp. will have priority access in Japan to OpenAI’s most advanced models.

Some of the anticipated applications include:

  • Arm: Will use Cristal Intelligence to drive innovation and increase productivity, solidifying its role in the global advancement of artificial intelligence.
  • SoftBank Corp.: Plans to automate over 100 million workflows with Cristal Intelligence. Furthermore, it will provide data and additional training in a secure environment to refine the technology, integrating it with its internal systems to develop AI agents. With this transformation, the company aims to create new business opportunities within its ecosystem.

SB OpenAI Japan: An AI Model for Japan and Beyond

The new joint venture SB OpenAI Japan, owned 50% by OpenAI and SoftBank Group, will play a key role in implementing artificial intelligence within Japanese companies. Its goal is to enable businesses to train and refine AI in their own IT environments, ensuring optimal and secure integration with their systems.

OpenAI will provide its technology and technical support, while SoftBank Corp. will contribute its sales network, operational expertise, and knowledge of the Japanese market. Arm, meanwhile, will offer scalable and efficient computing infrastructure to meet the growing computational demands of AI agents.

The experiences gained through this collaboration will serve as a reference for replicating the AI-driven transformation in other countries.

Statements from Industry Leaders

Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., highlighted the impact of this alliance:
“We are excited to bring Cristal Intelligence to market on a large scale. This initiative will not only transform SoftBank Group, but also revolutionize how companies operate in Japan and around the world. We are fully committed to leveraging our partnership with OpenAI to lead the AI revolution.”

For his part, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, emphasized the importance of the agreement:
“This partnership with SoftBank will accelerate our vision of bringing transformative AI to some of the world’s most influential companies, starting with Japan.”

Rene Haas, CEO of ARM, added:
“Arm is collaborating with OpenAI and SoftBank to drive productivity in the global tech ecosystem. Our goal is to set new standards and build a future where AI agents operate from the cloud to the edge of the network on our platform.”

Finally, Junichi Miyakawa, President and CEO of SoftBank Corp., expressed his enthusiasm for the alliance:
“We are promoting key initiatives to implement artificial intelligence in society, including the expansion of distributed data centers and AI computing platforms in Japan. With Cristal Intelligence, we will transform our clients’ management and operations.”

With this strategic partnership, SoftBank and OpenAI aim to position Japan as a leader in the adoption of artificial intelligence in the business sector, laying the groundwork for a digital transformation model that could extend globally.

via: AI News

Scroll to Top