Arm and SoftBank Group Contribute USD 15.5 Million to Advance AI Through Carnegie Mellon University's Partnership with Keio University

Rhea-AI Summary

Arm and SoftBank Group (SFTBY) have announced a $15.5 million contribution to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to support its AI research partnership with Keio University. This funding is part of a larger $110 million initiative backed by global tech companies to advance AI collaboration between the US and Japan.

The contribution includes Arm providing CMU researchers with access to their hardware and software IP through their Academic Access model. SoftBank will establish the SoftBank Group-Arm Fellowship to support Ph.D. students in AI research. The partnership will focus on four key areas: multimodal and multilingual learning, embodied AI for robotics, autonomous AI symbiosis with humans, and life sciences and AI for scientific discovery.

Positive

• Investment of $15.5 million strengthens AI research capabilities at CMU
• Access to Arm's hardware and software IP through Academic Access model
• Establishment of SoftBank Group-Arm Fellowship for Ph.D. students
• Part of larger $110 million global tech industry initiative

Negative

• None.

PITTSBURGH, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Arm and SoftBank Group Corp. (SBG) today announced that Arm and SBG will contribute USD 15.5 million to CMU to support its partnership with Keio University (Keio), a collaboration to accelerate the global advancement of AI.

A year ago, the United States and Japan launched a research partnership to accelerate advancements in AI on a global scale. The partnership will bring the two countries closer together as international leaders in AI by pairing up CMU with Keio and, in a related effort, the University of Washington with the University of Tsukuba. Several global companies — including Amazon, Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA and SBG — and a consortium of Japanese companies pledged USD 110 million in contributions to support these collaborations.

Arm, the company that is building the future of computing, and SBG, a global investor in breakthrough technologies, will provide CMU with USD 15.5 million to support the university's efforts in this partnership. The funding will give CMU scientists access to cutting-edge commercial tools and models and support fundamental research in areas where AI will have a transformative effect. 

"Carnegie Mellon is thankful for the support of Arm and SoftBank Group Corp. to further the development of transformative technologies powered by artificial intelligence. AI is pushing scientific discovery in fields like robotics and biomedicine, helping researchers understand complex systems and predict outcomes with increased accuracy," said Martial Hebert, Dean, CMU's School of Computer Science. "The CMU and Keio partnership will unlock research potential across the globe. Together, with generous and expert industry backing, we will blaze the new path charted by pioneering breakthroughs made possible through AI."

As a key feature of the partnership, Arm will provide CMU researchers with access to their hardware and software IP and tools through the company's Academic Access model, allowing researchers to innovate, evaluate, design and manufacture with the latest technology from Arm. The company's funding will also support research collaboration, capstone projects, internships and other student experiences between CMU and Keio.

"At Arm, we see the future of AI at the intersection of cutting-edge research, world-class engineering and practical application. Our partnership with the SoftBank Group and Carnegie Mellon University accelerates AI innovation while empowering the next generation," said Khaled Benkrid, Senior Director, Education and Research, Arm. "By uniting academia and industry, we're not just advancing technology, we're also investing in its future architects."

SBG will establish the SoftBank Group–Arm Fellowship with its contribution. The fellowship will support CMU's Ph.D. students in AI research. The funding will also support student-focused academic programs, such as summer research opportunities for undergraduate students, capstone projects and internships.

"AI's true potential emerges at the nexus of diverse ideas, rigorous scholarship and strategic international alliances," said Tim Mackey, Corporate Officer, CLO & GCO, Head of Legal Unit of SoftBank Group Corp. "Through our support for the Carnegie Mellon–Keio initiative, we seek not only to catalyze innovation but also to strengthen the foundational bonds between Japan and the U.S., building a robust pipeline of visionary AI talent prepared for global leadership."

With support from Arm and SBG, researchers at CMU and Keio will embark on work in four main areas: multimodal and multilingual learning, embodied AI for robotics, autonomous AI symbiosis with humans, and life sciences and AI for scientific discovery. Collaborations between CMU and Keio have begun. Researchers from Keio visited CMU in the fall of 2024. CMU researchers visited Keio in the spring of 2025.

CMU and Keio researchers in a current project in embodied AI are developing systems that will allow robots to better understand their own abilities, making them more effective at completing tasks around the home. Anticipated research in multimodal, multilingual learning will look at methods to reduce hallucination problems in large language models when they are used to analyze images or other multimodal data. Projects in AI symbiosis could include research into understanding non-verbal communication, interaction with robotics arms and social navigation. Researchers looking at the use of AI for scientific discovery will investigate AI-controlled experimentation and data analysis, including biomedical image analysis, lab automation and AI-enabled interpretation of molecular measurements.

About Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with acclaimed programs spanning the sciences, engineering, technology, business, public policy, humanities and the arts. Our diverse community of scholars, researchers, creators and innovators is driven to make real-world impacts that benefit people across the globe. With an unconventional, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach, we do the work that matters.

About Arm
Arm is the industry's highest-performing and most power-efficient compute platform with unmatched scale that touches 100 percent of the connected global population. To meet the insatiable demand for compute, Arm is delivering advanced solutions that allow the world's leading technology companies to unleash the unprecedented experiences and capabilities of AI. Together with the world's largest computing ecosystem and 22 million software developers, we are building the future of AI on Arm.

All information is provided "as is" and without warranty or representation. This document may be shared freely, attributed and unmodified. Arm is a registered trademark of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries or affiliates). All brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. © 1995-2025 Arm Limited.

About SoftBank Group
The SoftBank Group invests in breakthrough technology to improve the quality of life for people around the world. The SoftBank Group is comprised of SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984), an investment holding company that includes stakes in AI, smart robotics, IoT, telecommunications, internet services, and clean energy technology providers, as well as a majority stake in Arm, which is building the future of computing; and the SoftBank Vision Funds, which are investing to help transform industries and shape new ones. To learn more, please visit https://group.softbank/en.

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SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University

FAQ

What is the value of SoftBank and Arm's contribution to Carnegie Mellon University's AI partnership?

Arm and SoftBank Group are contributing $15.5 million to support Carnegie Mellon University's AI research partnership with Keio University.

What are the four main research areas of the CMU-Keio AI partnership?

The partnership focuses on multimodal and multilingual learning, embodied AI for robotics, autonomous AI symbiosis with humans, and life sciences and AI for scientific discovery.

How will Arm support Carnegie Mellon University's AI research?

Arm will provide CMU researchers with access to their hardware and software IP and tools through their Academic Access model, and support research collaboration, capstone projects, and internships.

What is the SoftBank Group-Arm Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University?

The SoftBank Group-Arm Fellowship is a program established to support CMU's Ph.D. students in AI research, including summer research opportunities, capstone projects, and internships.

How much total funding has been pledged by global companies for the US-Japan AI research partnership?

Global companies including Amazon, Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, SBG, and a consortium of Japanese companies have pledged $110 million to support the collaborations.