On 2024/3/21, Sojitz Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto; hereinafter “Sojitz”) and Sakura Internet Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka-shi, Osaka; President and CEO Tanaka Kunihiro; hereinafter “Sakura Internet”), which provides cloud computing services, agreed on cooperation in the digital/AI area and collaboration in GPU cloud services within the Sojitz Group, and concluded a business alliance (hereinafter “this partnership”) I did it.

[Sojitz President and CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto (right photo) and
[Sakura Internet President and CEO Kunihiro Tanaka]

Overseas markets are leading the way in developing and utilizing generative AI, but from the viewpoint of economic security, there is a growing need to ensure the safety of the underlying technology and enhance computational resources within Japan. In particular, the development of a large-scale language model (LLM) for Japanese is an urgent issue. In 2024/1, Sakura Internet began providing a cloud service “High Thermal Power” equipped with a high-performance GPU (image processing semiconductor) for generative AI at the Ishikari Data Center. In 2023/11, it is the only domestic enterprise that has been conditionally certified by the government (government) cloud.

Sojitz and Sakura Internet concluded a capital and business alliance in 2008, and have continued to cooperate. This partnership makes it possible to provide services to a wider range of customers by multiplying the infrastructure strengthening of Sakura Internet's high-performance GPUs with Sojitz's market-building capabilities in order to further strengthen cooperation. In cloud services for generative AI, we utilize Sojitz's network with consumers in a wide range of business fields, and in addition to jointly implementing development and sales of new business models and use cases utilizing the computational resources of the Sakura Internet, we will cooperate to promote cloud service businesses, including government clouds, and examine joint investments to expand related businesses and functions.

Both companies will simultaneously pursue synergy between Sakura Internet and Sojitz's business, aim to increase the corporate value of both parties, and contribute to the development of Japan's digital society.

＜Partnership details＞

1. Cooperation in the cloud service business
   • Joint provision of new business models and use cases for GPU cloud services provided by Sakura Internet
   • Building a system for business promotion, including government cloud, and mutual cooperation on customer development

2. Support, joint promotion, or joint business investment for new projects in line with Sakura Internet's growth strategy
3. Cooperation in providing computational resources for the Sojitz Group's AI-related businesses

Comment from Masayoshi Fujimoto, President and CEO of Sojitz Corporation

Thorough digital utilization is one of the pillars of our growth strategy (*) in our next medium-term management plan. Through this partnership, we will utilize computational resources ourselves to advance the DX of our existing business and the materialization of new businesses, and at the same time accelerate the growth of Sakura Internet, and in turn, work so that the Sojitz Group can play a part in Japan's digital society.

Comment from Kunihiro Tanaka, President and CEO of Sakura Internet Co., Ltd.

Sakura Internet has been focusing on the cloud business since the early days of the internet when it was founded. In the future, I believe that the cloud will become increasingly essential as a social infrastructure. We aim to be a digital infrastructure company that supports social infrastructure, and we will cooperate with various companies, starting with the Sojitz Group.

(*) In its medium-term management plan 2023, Sojitz has stated that it will transform its business model, human resources, and business processes through digital transformation (DX), leading to the creation of corporate value. Even in the medium-term management plan 2026, which starts in the new fiscal year, we will inherit “Digital in All” as a basic policy to “realize a growth story typical of Sojitz,” and we will work to create new value through thorough digital utilization.