Huang’s Tokyo trip highlights Nvidia’s 30-year Sega relationship, seeks to ease “Japan passing” concerns, and points to deeper AI infrastructure ties including reported talks with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Tokyo on July 15 for an Akihabara event marking the 30th anniversary of Nvidia’s partnership with Sega, using the trip to reinforce ties with Japan after unease over his earlier Asia itinerary. Japanese business circles had described his previous focus on South Korea and other stops without Japan as “Japan passing,” raising concerns that Nvidia was overlooking a key market. The visit centered on Sega’s early backing of Nvidia. In the mid-1990s, Sega made a $5 million investment in the chipmaker when it was struggling to survive, and Huang met Sega CEO Haruki Satomi and game designer Yu Suzuki to express gratitude for that support. The trip also pointed to Nvidia’s broader commercial ambitions in Japan, with reported discussions with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on cooling and energy management infrastructure for AI data centers. The Tokyo agenda underscored Nvidia’s emphasis on enterprise AI, robotics and data center partnerships rather than cryptocurrency or blockchain-related initiatives. Nvidia’s deepening Japan ties, alongside its push in South Korea, suggest the company is broadening its Asian relationships beyond Taiwan and China.