Asian AI startups launch models as Anthropic export ban continues
Original: Asian AI startups launch Mythos-like models as Anthropic’s export ban drags on
Why This Matters
Export controls on advanced AI models accelerate independent AI development in Asia, fragmenting the global AI landscape.
Chinese firm 360 unveiled Tulongfeng and Tokyo-based Sakana AI launched Fugu model on same week, both positioning as alternatives to Anthropic's Mythos amid Trump Administration export restrictions on advanced AI models to non-Americans.
On June 27, 2026, Chinese cybersecurity firm 360 reportedly unveiled Tulongfeng, an AI tool claimed to compete with Anthropic's Mythos model. The same week, Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based startup founded in 2023 by former Google researchers Ren Ito, Llion Jones, and David Ha, launched Fugu, a frontier AI model designed for agents with API orchestration capabilities. Sakana positioned Fugu as standing "shoulder-to-shoulder with leading models like Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos Preview." Both releases followed the Trump Administration's export ban on Mythos and Fable 5, implemented two weeks prior, which prevents global access to these models outside the United States. Sakana's website advertises delivering "frontier capability without the risk of export controls." A Sakana spokesperson stated the model's release was "entirely coincidental" but acknowledged the timing coincided with heightened attention. The company said Fugu was "built since last year" with research presented at ICLR in spring. Sakana targets Japanese businesses and government agencies seeking to reduce exposure to tightening export controls. However, the startup emphasized that "U.S. models remain important to Asia" and characterized the current moment as temporary rather than a permanent realignment. Co-founder Ren Ito urged the U.S. government at the G7 summit in Evian to "preserve access" for America's closest allies, arguing AI should not become a hoarded technology.