Asian AI startups launch myth-like models as Anthropic’s export ban continues

On Wednesday, Chinese cybersecurity company 360 announced It is said has unveiled Tulongfeng, an AI tool that it says could go head-to-head with Anthropic’s Mythos. This is the cybersecurity-focused AI model that is said to be very powerful, the Trump administration I have currently blocked it and its more restricted versionMyth 5, by non-Americans.

Earlier in the same week, Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based AI startup Fujo launcheda model named after the Japanese word for puffer fish. The company says this frontier AI model “stands alongside leading models like Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos Preview.” It is also designed for agents, with the ability to orchestrate access to other models through their APIs.

The two new Asian model products come as the US government’s ban continues. that it The system that prevents anthropy From Global Access to Mythos and Fable happened two weeks ago.

A Sakana AI spokesperson told TechCrunch that the launch of its new model was “completely serendipitous,” but that didn’t stop it from taking advantage of the moment. Its website advertises “providing border capacity without the risk of export controls.”

“Sakana Fugu is something we’ve been building since last year — the research behind it was presented at ICLR this spring, and it reflects a fundamental approach to how we deliver frontier-level value in Sakana AI. We were confident in the product itself; the timing simply coincided with a moment that brought it more attention than we expected,” the spokesperson said about its launch during the Mythos/Fable export ban.

Stay, shareFounded in 2023 Former Google researchers Ren Ito, Leon Jones, and David Ha have created affordable generative AI models that work well with small datasets and are optimized for the Japanese language and culture.

While the company is targeting Fugu at Japanese companies and government agencies looking to reduce their exposure to tightening export controls, it has not yet announced a permanent shift away from American AI in Asia.

“American models remain important for Asia,” the spokesman said, a view consistent with statements made by co-founder Ren Ito. G7 summit in Evian Last week, controls on access to and export of artificial intelligence were one of the main topics. “We were describing the present moment in these terms rather than a permanent realignment towards any one group of players.”

Sakana Co-Founder This rang I detailed this view in an op-ed published in Project Syndicate last week. He urged the US federal government, which considers that “The first priority should be to maintain accessibility,To America’s closest allies, he claimed that “AI should not become a hoarding technology; They must be developed together.

David Ha, co-founder and CEO of Sakana, described Fugu as more than just grabbing ground during a weak moment for U.S. rivals. It is designed to coordinate proxy usage between multiple models.

“Coordinate models are the next frontier, beyond larger models.” Written on X. Relying on a single provider for national infrastructure poses a risk made impossible to ignore by recent export controls, he said.

“Access to top models can disappear overnight,” he wrote. “Collective intelligence is a practical hedge against this concentration of power.”

While Tokyo-based Sakana positioned Fogo as a hedging strategy, a way to maintain access to frontier AI, not replace it, Chinese company 360 was not hedging.

Chinese company It is said Unveiling two artificial intelligence security tools. Tulongfeng is designed to automatically detect software vulnerabilities, and Yitianzhen is designed to automate cyber defense and incident response.

But the product launch came with a message. According to Reuters, Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360, described artificial intelligence for vulnerability detection as a national strategic asset, and pointed to what he called the risk of “one-way transparency,” a situation in which some actors have access to advanced vulnerability detection capabilities while others cannot.

Anthropy has been on a historic growth trajectory. The American Artificial Intelligence Laboratory said Run rate revenue exceeded $47 billion In May 2026. It is not publicly known how much of that depends on Asian institutional clients.

But in the weeks since the export order took effect, at least two companies, one in Tokyo and one in Beijing, have stepped into the space it left behind. Even if American companies can regain confidence if this ban ends, local alternatives, trained to better understand the local language and nuances, are already starting to fill the gap.

360 did not respond to a request for comment.