Companies

Amazon’s Cloud Division to Offer Up to ¥900 Mil. in Support for Japanese Companies Developing AI for Robots

Reuters
People walk by the exhibit for Amazon Web Services at National Retail Federation 2026: Retail’s Big Show, in New York City, on Jan. 12

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:08 JST, January 27, 2026

Up to $6 million (¥900 million) will be offered to Japanese companies to assist in developing AI for robots, the Japanese subsidiary of the cloud division of Amazon.com, Inc. announced on Tuesday.

Selected companies will receive a reduction of up to 50% in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Inc.’s cloud usage fees, along with support from specialized staff.

The support is aimed at startups and other companies based in Japan, with plans to assist several dozen companies in total. The application period will be open until Feb. 13, with intensive support scheduled from March this year to June.

It is said that Japanese companies have advanced technological capabilities in the field of industrial robotics, however, they lag behind the United Stated and China in developing “physical AI” — AI that operates robots and similar devices.