The European Union is looking for to forge a stronger alliance with Japan in pivotal know-how sectors akin to synthetic intelligence (AI), as a part of its technique to reduce dependence on China. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasised this initiative in a latest Twitter video, the place he introduced that AI could be a high-priority dialogue matter in his assembly with the Japanese authorities.
Breton said, “I will engage with [the] Japanese government … on how we can organize our digital space, including AI based on our shared value.” His feedback counsel an earnest effort to align EU’s technological roadmap with Japan, a rustic recognized for its strong know-how sector.
An EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council and Shared Interests in Semiconductors
The EU and Japan plan to determine a Digital Partnership Council to foster collaboration on quantum and high-performance computing. This follows an analogous council shaped between the EU and South Korea final week, specializing in AI and cybersecurity.
Breton additionally revealed plans to cooperate with Japan within the vital semiconductor area. Semiconductors, the integral parts present in a variety of units from vehicles to smartphones, are additionally pivotal in coaching AI fashions. As such, they characterize a strategic space of know-how the place nations try to place themselves for future benefit.
Japan performs a big position within the international semiconductor provide chain, and it has been actively working to bolster its home trade. In truth, simply final week, a fund supported by the Japanese authorities proposed a $6.3 billion acquisition of home chipmaking agency JSR.
The EU, too, has been striving to fortify its semiconductor trade throughout the bloc. This joint curiosity in semiconductors may function a strong basis for the proposed EU-Japan know-how alliance.
The Broader Picture: De-Risking and Technological Autonomy
The EU’s endeavor to solidify partnerships with technologically superior Asian nations represents a strategic ‘de-risking’ from China. Unlike the U.S., which has taken steps to disengage its economic system from Beijing, the EU seeks to reallocate threat by deepening technology-related relationships with allied nations.
Simultaneously, the U.S. continues to impose export restrictions on vital applied sciences, together with semiconductors, in an try to isolate China. As a part of this technique, Washington has been urging its European allies to observe swimsuit.
Last week, The Netherlands, dwelling to probably the most essential chip corporations, ASML, introduced new export restrictions on superior semiconductor gear. This growth aligns with the broader development of countries re-evaluating their provide chains and making makes an attempt to deliver semiconductor manufacturing again onshore.
The EU’s transfer to collaborate extra carefully with Japan in key technological areas like AI and semiconductors is a strategic play within the broader geopolitical panorama. It not solely seeks to mitigate dangers related to over-reliance on a single nation, but in addition goals to safe the EU’s place within the international know-how race.