Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akazawa (赤沢) indicated a policy of increasing the weighting of AI and semiconductor manufacturing in investment in the United States. The 6 projects announced to date have been concentrated in energy, but investment in facilities such as AI data centers and semiconductor plants is expected to increase going forward.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akazawa (赤沢) said that AI and semiconductor manufacturing are expected to account for a very large share of the $550 billion in investment in the United States agreed in the Japan-US tariff negotiations. The projects announced to date have been concentrated in the energy sector, including power plants and crude oil export infrastructure, but the selection of the next projects is under way.
At a G20 meeting, Akazawa (赤沢) also expressed an intention to promote growth through the use of AI and its implementation in society. He was also reported to have agreed to the “Carolina Principles,” which call for new regulations on emerging technologies such as AI to be limited to issues that cannot be addressed under existing laws, thereby supporting innovation and investment.
During his visit to the United States, Akazawa (赤沢) reportedly reconfirmed with US officials that tariffs on Japan would not exceed 15%, and also expressed the view that securing supplies of US crude oil was important. The policy of increasing the weighting of AI and semiconductors in investment in the United States may create opportunities for Japanese companies to supply semiconductor materials, manufacturing equipment and power-related infrastructure.
As additional context, experts have pointed out that AI data centers require semiconductors and power, while semiconductor plants also require power, linking investment in energy, AI and semiconductors. If the number of AI and semiconductor projects increases, power investment may be linked to expanding AI computing capacity and semiconductor production.