Silicon Valley innovation and German engineering unite to create a transatlantic AI champion delivering up to 100x efficiency gains over conventional GPU-based systems.

Mythic, a pioneer in analog compute-in-memory technology, has acquired Videantis, a leading European digital processor IP company. The transaction unites Mythic's analog compute platform with Videantis' unified digital processor architecture to create a hybrid AI computing system claiming 100x energy efficiency advantage over conventional GPU-based systems. Videantis has shipped over 25 million chips worldwide with zero field defects, powering systems across all top three European automotive manufacturers. Its unified processor architecture runs deep learning, computer vision and AI inference workloads on a single platform. The acquisition follows Mythic's $125 million funding round and its agreement with Honda to co-develop next-generation AI chips. All five Videantis founders, including CEO Hans-Joachim Stolberg, will join Mythic, which will operate Videantis as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Japan targets 26% global share in self-driving cars by 2030s. Japan will target a 26% global share in self-driving cars in the 2030s under a new growth strategy that Takaichi Sanae's government plans to draft this summer. The government set numerical goals for 34 of 61 products and technologies chosen in March for priority public and private investment. It also wants Japanese companies' share of undersea cable installations to rise to about 35% by 2030 from 20% now, citing demand tied to AI. For content, the government aims to lift overseas sales of Japanese anime to 6 trillion yen (US$38 billion), in 2033, about four times 2022 levels. Officials plan to add a roadmap covering investment needs and expected economic effects to the growth strategy. Food for thought. Implications, context, and why it matters. Demographic pressures are the driving force behind Japan's new growth strategy. * The targets respond to demographic strain, since Japan has the world's highest share of people aged 65 and older at 29.1% 1. * Labor gaps are already biting, with a projected shortfall of 36,000 bus drivers by 2030 that is forcing service cuts in cities and rural areas 1. * Freight faces a similar squeeze, as a 36% shortage of truck drivers is expected by 2031 and could reduce national transport capacity by about a third by 2030 2. * Corporate bankruptcies have climbed to a 13-year high and household consumption is falling, so the government is tying its push into self-driving vehicles and AI to keeping growth going despite worker shortages 3. Japan's new strategy is steering rival automakers toward alliances. * To reach its goals for self-driving cars, the government is supporting frameworks that nudge long-time rivals such as Toyota and Honda to work together on AI-powered self-driving technology 4. * Nissan and Honda have also teamed up, saying they have fallen behind foreign rivals and cannot catch up while trying to do everything on their own 5. * Companies are also looking overseas for know-how to speed up work on self-driving technology. * Honda is co-developing AI chips with U.S. startup Mythic, a semiconductor company, under a joint development agreement, while Toyota has a preliminary agreement with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving technology company, to explore collaboration on autonomous driving technologies 67. Stay updated on the go with our mobile app. Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app. How would you feel if you could no longer use Tech in Asia? Share, tag us, and land on our Wall of!