Fujitsu presented the Monaka processor at Hot Chips 2026, designed for AI data centers. Lead architect Ryohei Okazaki described the design as a CPU made in Japan, specifically targeting AI performance and energy efficiency, according to Tom's Hardware. The project is subsidized by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.
The chip's central feature is stacking all cache on a separate 5nm die, with the vector instruction set reduced to 256-bit SVE2. Fujitsu will sell Monaka in two configurations: a 350W air-cooled version with a base clock of 2.1 GHz and a 500W liquid-cooled version at 2.9 GHz.
Fujitsu has made Monaka evaluation samples available, with volume production scheduled for 2027. The architecture targets what the company calls green AI data centers, prioritizing energy efficiency over raw maximum power.
For infrastructure operators, the chip offers an alternative to the high-power accelerator standard, with a physical separation between cache and cores that could simplify cooling and rack integration. Sample availability enables real workload testing before scale production.
The paper sees Monaka as a relevant move in a market dominated by American designs, but adoption will depend on software compatibility with the reduced SVE2 instruction set. The energy efficiency strategy could attract data centers with power constraints, as long as the ecosystem keeps up.