US and Japan Launch $1 Billion AI Research Partnership Under Genesis Mission

A Landmark Scientific Alliance

The United States and Japan on Thursday announced a $1 billion strategic partnership that makes Japan the first international partner in the Trump administration's Genesis Mission, a sweeping effort to transform scientific research through artificial intelligence. The US Department of Energy and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) jointly unveiled the initiative, with each country contributing $500 million over five years.

How the Partnership Works

The collaboration will connect 12 DOE National Laboratories with 12 Japanese research institutions, forming 11 joint scientific teams focused on quantum information science, fusion energy, biotechnology, and autonomous laboratory systems. The joint teams will gain access to DOE high-performance computing systems and Japan's Fugaku supercomputer, operated by RIKEN as one of the world's most powerful machines. DOE Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil, who leads the initiative, has described the Genesis Mission as defining "how science will be conducted in the age of AI."

Building on Months of Groundwork

The announcement formalises a relationship that has been developing since January, when Argonne National Laboratory signed a memorandum of understanding in Osaka with RIKEN, Fujitsu, and Nvidia, marking the first foreign participation in the Genesis Mission. A separate DOE-MEXT partnership on fusion energy commercialisation was announced in May. The Genesis Mission itself was established by executive order signed by President Trump on 24 November 2025, tasking the DOE with building an integrated discovery platform spanning its 17 National Laboratories. Gil has said the effort will "double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade."

Strategic Competition

The partnership comes amid intensifying competition between the United States and China for dominance in AI, with Japan positioning itself as Washington's closest scientific ally in the Asia-Pacific. Tokyo is seeking breakthroughs in biotechnology, nuclear fusion, and quantum technology through the collaboration.

A Broader Coalition

The Japan partnership is the largest but not the only external collaboration under Genesis. In December 2025, the DOE announced agreements with 24 organisations, including CoreWeave, xAI, and XPRIZE, to advance the mission. The DOE has also awarded hundreds of millions in domestic funding, including $320 million announced in December 2025 for AI-for-science projects across the national laboratory system.