内容来源：https://aibusiness.com/foundation-models/japan-ai-model-maker-ups-valuation-latest-funding-round

内容总结：

日本AI独角兽Sakana.ai近日宣布完成200亿日元（约合13.5亿元人民币）的B轮融资，公司估值达4000亿日元（约合26.35亿元人民币），成为日本估值最高的初创企业。本轮融资获得三菱UFJ金融集团、Khosla Ventures等新老投资者支持。

这家2023年成立的东京企业专注于开发符合日本文化特征与国情需求的可持续人工智能解决方案。公司指出，当前全球AI开发过度依赖算力投入的路径不符合日本国情，因此致力于研发能够基于小规模数据集运行、适应本土文化价值观的轻量化生成式AI模型。

在技术层面，Sakana已实现突破性进展，开发出具备自我优化能力的架构及知识迁移模型融合技术。目前该公司已与三菱UFJ金融集团、大和证券集团等金融机构建立合作，为金融领域定制专业AI解决方案。新融资将用于加强应用AI团队建设，拓展国防、工程制造等领域的部署，同时加速面向国家主权AI的模型优化研发。

投资方MPower Partners的代表松川凯西指出，Sakana通过创新实现前沿AI技术可持续发展的理念，与该基金推动产业社会变革的ESG投资价值观高度契合。

中文翻译：

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日本初创企业Sakana.ai近日宣布完成200亿日元（约合13.5亿美元）的B轮融资，公司估值达4000亿日元（约合26.35亿美元）。这家东京企业由此成为日本估值最高的独角兽公司。此前该公司于2024年9月完成2亿美元的A轮融资，当时估值仅为15亿美元。

Sakana成立于2023年，致力于为日本文化及需求量身打造可持续的AI解决方案。该公司宣称其使命是"开发符合日本需求的AI解决方案"，因此专注于提供能够处理小数据集、适应当地"文化与价值观"且成本可控的生成式AI模型。尽管承认AI能为劳动力减少和人口老龄化的日本带来巨大效益，但该公司强调必须负责任地推进技术应用。

本轮融资获得新老投资者共同支持，参与机构包括三菱UFJ金融集团、科斯拉创投、阶乘资本、麦格理资本、Fundomo、Mouro资本、MPower Partners及New Enterprise Associates。

Sakana指出，当前AI领域正以不可持续的速度涌入巨额资金用于算力建设，这种发展模式并不适合日本国情。该公司认为这种"假设资源近乎无限而消耗空前能源开发AI模型"的做法，与日本资源匮乏的现状形成尖锐矛盾。

截至目前，Sakana始终致力于前沿AI研究，先后发布了能够自主进化无需重复训练的架构体系，以及可实现知识迁移的模型融合技术。通过与主要投资者三菱UFJ集团及大和证券集团等业界巨头的合作，该公司已为金融领域开发定制AI解决方案。这些合作使其认识到通用模型与专业领域隐性知识应用之间存在的显著差距。

获得新资金后，该公司表示将加强应用AI团队建设，瞄准国防、工程和制造领域的新部署，同时深化现有金融合作。此外还将加大研发投入，加速面向国家主权AI的模型优化进程。

投资方MPower Partners的松井凯西解释支持理由时表示："（该公司）通过创新可持续开发前沿AI技术的独特决心，与我们作为日本首支ESG整合型全球风险投资基金的核心价值观高度契合，我们都致力于投资能推动产业与社会变革的尖端技术。"

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英文来源：

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Founded in 2023, Sakana develops sustainable AI solutions tailored to Japan's culture and needs.
Japanese startup Sakana.ai has revealed that it has raised 20 billion yen (around $135 million) in a Series B funding round that values the company at 400 billion yen ($2.635 billion).
The Tokyo firm is now Japan's most valuable unicorn. It previously raised $200 million in a Series A in September 2024, when it was valued at $1.5 billion.
Sakana said its mission is to "develop AI solutions for Japan's needs" and, as such, is focused on delivering affordable generative AI models that work with small datasets and are tailored to the country's "culture and values."
While acknowledging that AI offers huge benefits for a country faced with a declining workforce and ageing population, the company argued that it has to be implemented responsibly.
The round received support from both new and existing investors, with participants including Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Khosla Ventures, Factorial, Macquarie Capital, Fundomo, Mouro Capital, MPower Partners and New Enterprise Associates.
Sakana was founded in 2023, and its approach is being shaped by a concern that the current landscape -- which is seeing enormous amounts of capital pumped into AI compute at a rate that might not be sustainable -- is not the way forward for Japan. This, Sakana argued, is "consuming unprecedented levels of energy, to develop AI models under the assumption of near limitless resources," which Japan does not have.
To date, Sakana has pursued frontier AI research, including the release of architectures that are able to self-improve rather than require retraining, and the merging of models that are able to transfer knowledge.
In doing so, it has secured partnerships with big names such as MUFG, a key investor, and Daiwa Securities Group to develop custom AI for finance. The startup claimed that these partnerships have exposed the gap between general purpose models and the uncodified knowledge needed for domain-specific professional applications.
With new funding, the company says it will strengthen its Applied AI team to target new deployments in defense, engineering and manufacturing, as well as bolster its existing finance partnerships. It's also looking to intensify research and development to accelerate model optimization for sovereign AI.
Kathy Matsui of investor MPower explained why her company was backing Sakana, saying: "[Its] unique determination to develop frontier AI technology sustainably, through innovation, aligns with our core values as Japan's first ESG-integrated global venture capital fund investing in technologies that transform industries and society."
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