The European Union is looking for to forge a stronger alliance with Japan in pivotal expertise sectors reminiscent of synthetic intelligence (AI), as a part of its technique to reduce dependence on China. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasised this initiative in a current Twitter video, the place he introduced that AI can be a high-priority dialogue matter in his assembly with the Japanese authorities.
Breton stated, “I’ll interact with [the] Japanese authorities … on how we are able to set up our digital area, together with AI based mostly on our shared worth.” His feedback counsel an earnest effort to align EU’s technological roadmap with Japan, a rustic recognized for its strong expertise sector.
An EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council and Shared Pursuits 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 identical council fashioned between the EU and South Korea final week, specializing in AI and cybersecurity.
Breton additionally revealed plans to cooperate with Japan within the essential semiconductor area. Semiconductors, the integral elements present in a variety of units from automobiles to smartphones, are additionally pivotal in coaching AI fashions. As such, they signify a strategic space of expertise the place nations attempt to place themselves for future benefit.
Japan performs a big function within the world semiconductor provide chain, and it has been actively working to bolster its home business. 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 business throughout the bloc. This joint curiosity in semiconductors may function a strong basis for the proposed EU-Japan expertise alliance.
The Broader Image: De-Risking and Technological Autonomy
The EU’s endeavor to solidify partnerships with technologically superior Asian nations represents a strategic ‘de-risking’ from China. Not like the U.S., which has taken steps to disengage its economic system from Beijing, the EU seeks to reallocate danger by deepening technology-related relationships with allied nations.
Concurrently, the U.S. continues to impose export restrictions on essential 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 comply with swimsuit.
Final week, The Netherlands, house to one of the essential chip corporations, ASML, introduced new export restrictions on superior semiconductor gear. This improvement aligns with the broader pattern of countries re-evaluating their provide chains and making makes an attempt to carry semiconductor manufacturing again onshore.
The EU’s transfer to collaborate extra intently 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 additionally goals to safe the EU’s place within the world expertise race.