Nvidia and SoftBank have partnered to launch Japan's most powerful AI supercomputer using Nvidia's new Grace Blackwell platform. Announced during Nvidia's AI Summit in Tokyo on Wednesday, the collaboration features SoftBank being the first to deploy Nvidia's DGX B200 systems to build the DGX SuperPOD,

SoftBank's Japanese telecoms unit will receive the first chips using Nvidia's latest Blackwell design for its supercomputer, the California-based chip designer said, as Masayoshi Son looks to ride the artificial intelligence boom.

SoftBank Group is the first customer to use Nvidia's Blackwell chips, which will be used to develop an artificial intelligence supercomputer in Japan. The companies plan to build the system — which they call Japan's most powerful supercomputer — in early 2025.

The chipmaker is trying to grow by cutting jobs.

The move follows other cutbacks among longtime Silicon Valley companies. Cisco Systems Inc. is eliminating more than 6,000 positions, and Intel is cutting about 15% of its workforce of more than

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is laying off 4% of its global workforce, around 1,000 employees, as it pivots resources to developing AI-focused chips. This marks a strategic shift by AMD to challenge Nvidia’s lead in the sector.