Rakuten releases Japanese language model Rakuten AI 2.0 to promote the development of AI

Rakuten Group launched its first Japanese Large Language Model (LLM) and Small Language Model (SLM), named Rakuten AI2.0 and Rakuten AI2.0 mini, respectively. These two models are designed to drive the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in Japan. Rakuten AI2.0 is based on the Hybrid Expert (MoE) architecture and is an 8x7B model consisting of eight models with 7 billion parameters, each serving as an expert. Whenever the input token is processed, the system will send it to the two most relevant experts, and the router is responsible for selecting it. These experts and routers are constantly training together through a large amount of high-quality Japanese and English bilingual data.

Rakuten AI2.0mini is a new dense model with a parameter volume of 1.5 billion, designed for cost-effective edge device deployment and suitable for specific application scenarios. It is also trained on Japanese and English mixed data, with the goal of providing convenient solutions. Both models have been fine-tuned and preferred to release basic models and instruction models to support enterprises and professionals in developing AI applications.

All models are under the Apache2.0 license agreement, which users can obtain in the official library of Hugging Face of Rakuten Group. Commercial uses include text generation, content summary, question and answer, text understanding and dialogue system construction. In addition, these models can also serve as the basis for other models, which facilitate further development and application.

Cai Ting, Chief AI and Data Officer at Lotte Group, said: “I am extremely proud of how our team combines data, engineering and science to launch Rakuten AI2.0. Our new AI model provides powerful and cost-effective solutions that help businesses make intelligent decisions, accelerate value realization, and open up new possibilities. Through the open model, we hope to accelerate the development of AI in Japan, encourage all Japanese companies to build, experiment and grow, and promote a win-win community.”

Official blog: https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/0212_02.html