Nvidia-Backed AI Startup Valued at $1.5 Billion in Funding Round

Nvidia Corp.-backed Sakana AI was valued at $1.5 billion a little over a year after its launch, boosted by investments from some of Japan’s biggest banks and companies, a person familiar with the matter said.

Founded in July 2023 by former Google researchers, Sakana has received an outsized welcome in Japan, which is eager to catch up to the US and China in artificial intelligence. It’s won processing time on one of the country’s supercomputers and quickly recruited partners to build out Japan’s AI ecosystem.

The 20-person startup said on Tuesday that it raised about ¥30 billion ($214 million) ...