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Some of the most meaningful progress in AI is not coming from viral demos or flashy chatbot releases. It is showing up quietly, in the background, as companies and institutions build the systems that let these tools actually work in complicated environments like research labs and hospitals.
Right now, a lot of that work is taking shape in Japan. Over just the past two weeks, Fujitsu and Nvidia have rolled out two big announcements. One is centered on science. It is a new supercomputer called FugakuNEXT, meant to handle massive national-scale simulations. The other is focused on hospitals, where new digital infrastructure is being introduced to help medical systems run more smoothly behind the scenes.
FugakuNEXT is being built by RIKEN, Japan’s top research institution, working alongside Fujitsu and Nvidia. It follows the original Fugaku system, which briefly held the title of the fastest computer in the world. But this is not just about speed. It is a new kind of platform, one that blends classic simulation tools with cutting-edge machine learning in a single system.
Instead of bouncing between different machines, this one handles everything in the same place. It can model earthquakes one moment and train massive language models the next. That kind of flexibility makes it useful across a wide range of disciplines.
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At the core of the system are Fujitsu’s MONAKA X processors. These are wired directly into Nvidia’s compute units through a new high-speed interface called NVLink Fusion. That connection helps everything move faster and more smoothly, so the system works like a single engine instead of a bunch of disconnected parts.
The software layer is just as important. Nvidia’s full stack is being built in from the ground up. That includes tools like RAPIDS for working with data, cuQuantum for simulating quantum physics, TensorRT for fast decision-making, and NeMo for developing language models. These are not side features. They are foundational pieces meant to handle real problems in science and industry.
Energy use is also a top concern. With growing awareness about how power-hungry many of these systems can be, it is no surprise that recent innovations are putting efficiency front and center. As AI models grow, they need more and more power to run. FugakuNEXT is being built with efficiency in mind, trying to deliver performance gains without blowing past energy or cost limits.
The FugakuNEXT is expected to be used across many different fields. In science, it will run simulations that rely on new types of models. In manufacturing, it will learn from past runs to create faster, cleaner designs. In emergency planning, it will simulate natural disasters like earthquakes and storms with higher accuracy and speed.
Much of the momentum around the project started after Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, visited Tokyo last year. While speaking at the AI Summit Japan, he encouraged Japan to invest in its own AI infrastructure and build tools on its own terms. That message landed well. It brought together researchers, government leaders, and tech companies around a common vision.
“I hope that Japan will take advantage of the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and combine that with your world-class expertise in mechatronics,” Huang said at the time. “No country in the world has greater skills in mechatronics than Japan, and this is an extraordinary opportunity to seize.”
FugakuNEXT is all about reimagining how Japan approaches national research, but the story does not end in the lab. Healthcare is another system under pressure, and Fujitsu and Nvidia are turning their attention there.
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They are building a new AI-powered platform designed to help hospitals run more effectively by managing digital workflows that usually sit behind the scenes. At the heart of it is what Fujitsu calls a healthcare orchestrator. The idea is simple. Just like a conductor leads a group of musicians, this system quietly coordinates a range of smaller tools that each handle a specific task.
Some of these tools organize patient records. Others translate information between hospital systems that normally do not work well together. The goal is not to replace everything doctors already use. It is to make all of it function more smoothly.
For medical staff, that means less time spent on repetitive tasks and more time focused on patient care. For hospitals, it opens the door to more efficient scheduling and faster service. For patients, it could mean shorter wait times and fewer bureaucratic headaches.
Fujitsu plans to run real-world pilots in Japan next year, with international expansion on the horizon. What makes the approach different is that it works with systems already in place. Hospitals do not need to rip out their existing tech. They can add this layer gradually. It is a smart way to modernize a complex industry without starting from scratch, and in that way, it echoes the strategy behind FugakuNEXT. The goal is not to build hype or replace existing systems, but to establish long-term capability.