SoftBank-Tokyo Uni Plan AI Data Consortium Launch

Tokyo, Japan - SoftBank Corp. and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Information Science and Technology's Koshizuka Laboratory announced on Friday that they will establish a consortium in fiscal 2025 to implement an advanced data collaboration infrastructure for utilizing artificial intelligence data.

The organizations said the planned "xIPF Consortium" would enable cross-industry data collaboration beyond corporate and industrial boundaries.

A preparatory committee is scheduled to be established on Oct. 7, 2025, according to the statement.

The consortium aims to develop technology for constructing and operating data spaces that enable organizations to connect and utilize data through common frameworks, while maintaining security and reliability, the companies stated.

The initiative aims to develop new AI-powered services across the mobility, energy, retail, and urban development sectors.

SoftBank has been developing xIPF (Cross-Integrated Platform), an ultra-distributed computing infrastructure, since 2023, as digital infrastructure for society.

The platform connects data distributed across companies and organizations through a common foundation, enabling digitalization across various fields.

The University of Tokyo laboratory specializes in data distribution and utilization across different sectors, with an emphasis on facilitating cross-sector data discovery and ensuring interoperability for a range of data-driven services, the announcement said.

SoftBank said it plans to integrate the advanced data space developed by the consortium with its AI data centers, AI computing infrastructure, and the domestic large language model "Sarashina" being developed by its subsidiary SB Intuitions Corp.

A kickoff event, titled "The Future Created by AI and Data Spaces," is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2025, at the University of Tokyo Ito International Research Center Hoyakoin Hall.

Participation will be free but requires advance registration, according to the organizations.

The development of xIPF is supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under its "Post-5G Information and Communication System Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project," according to the announcement.