Thierry Breton, inner market commissioner for the European Union, delivers a keynote at Cellular World Congress in Barcelona.
Angel Garcia | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
The European Union is seeking to co-operate extra carefully with Japan on key applied sciences equivalent to synthetic intelligence, the bloc’s business chief mentioned, because the coalition appears to scale back its reliance on China in sure areas.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton is assembly with the Japanese authorities on Monday, and synthetic intelligence will likely be “very excessive” on his agenda, he mentioned in a video posted on Twitter on Sunday.
“I’ll have interaction with [the] Japanese authorities … on how we will set up our digital area, together with AI primarily based on our shared worth,” Breton mentioned.
Breton additionally mentioned there will likely be an EU-Japan Digital Partnership council, to debate areas together with quantum and excessive efficiency computing. The EU held an analogous council with South Korea final week, during which the 2 sides agreed to cooperate on applied sciences equivalent to AI and cybersecurity.
Partnerships with key Asian international locations with sturdy expertise sectors come because the EU appears to “de-risk” from China — a special strategy from that of the U.S., which has sought to decouple its financial system from Beijing.
A part of that EU technique entails deepening the connection with allied international locations round expertise.
Breton advised Reuters on Monday that the bloc and Japan will co-operate within the space of semiconductors. Japan is a key nation within the semiconductor provide chain, and Tokyo has been seeking to strengthen its home business. Final week, a fund backed by the Japanese authorities proposed to purchase home chipmaking agency JSR for round 903.9 billion yen ($6.3 billion).
The EU has additionally been seeking to strengthen its personal semiconductor business throughout the bloc.
Semiconductors are very important elements that go into the whole lot from automobiles to smartphones and have potential navy purposes. International locations all over the world have been reassessing their provide chains, and a few, just like the U.S., have seemed to carry semiconductor manufacturing again onshore.
Semiconductors are additionally key to coaching synthetic intelligence fashions. AI and chips are seen as two key areas of expertise for the long run, which international locations are attempting to place themselves to reap the benefits of.
On the identical time, the U.S. specifically has sought to chop China off from essential applied sciences, equivalent to semiconductors, by export restrictions and Washington has seemed to persuade European allies to affix.
The Netherlands, dwelling to one of many world’s most important chip companies ASML, final week introduced new export restrictions on superior semiconductor gear.
