The US and Japan have unveiled a raft of new AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and other critical technology initiatives.

The ambitious plans were announced this week by President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio following Kishida’s Official Visit to the White House.

While the leaders affirmed their commitment across a broad range of areas including defence, climate, development, and humanitarian efforts, the new technology collaborations took centre stage and underscore how the US-Japan alliance is evolving into a comprehensive global partnership underpinned by innovation.

AI takes centre stage

One of the headline initiatives is a $110 million partnership between the University of Washington, University of Tsukuba, Carnegie Mellon University, and Keio University. Backed by tech giants like NVIDIA, Arm, Amazon, and Microsoft—as well as Japanese companies—the program aims to solidify US-Japan leadership in cutting-edge AI research and development.

The US and Japan also committed to supporting each other in establishing national AI Safety Institutes and pledged future collaboration on interoperable AI safety standards, evaluations, and risk manageme