Asian AI startups launch Mythos-like models as Anthropic’s export ban drags on
New models are launching in Asia that promise Mythos-like capabilities without fear of an export ban. U.S. AI labs may never recover this enormous market.
On Wednesday, Chinese cybersecurity firm 360 reportedly unveiled Tulongfeng, an AI tool it says can go head-to-head with Anthropic’s Mythos. That’s the cybersecurity-focused AI model that is reportedly so powerful, the Trump Administration has currently banned it and its more restricted version , Fable 5, from the hands of non-Americans.
Earlier the same week Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based AI startup launched Fugu , a model named after the Japanese word for blowfish. The company says this frontier AI model “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with leading models like Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos Preview.” It is also designed for agents, with an ability to orchestrate access to other models though their APIs.
The two new Asian model products come as the U.S. government’s ban drags on. It’s order that prevents Anthropic from global access to Mythos and Fable occurred two weeks ago.
A spokesperson at Sakana AI told TechCrunch that release of its new model was “entirely coincidental,” yet that hasn’t stopped it from capitalizing on the moment. It’s website advertises “delivering frontier capability without the risk of export controls.”
“Sakana Fugu is something we have been building since last year — the research behind it was presented at ICLR this spring, and it reflects an approach that is central to how we deliver frontier-level value at Sakana AI. We were confident in the product on its own merits; the timing simply happened to coincide with a moment that brought it more attention than we expected,” the spokesperson said about launching during the Mythos/Fable export ban.
Sakana, co- founded in 2023 by former Google researchers Ren Ito, Llion Jones and David Ha, makes 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 businesses and government agencies looking to reduce their exposure to tightening export controls, it isn’t yet proclaiming a lasting shift away from U.S. AI in Asia.
“U.S. models remain important to Asia,” the spokesperson said, a view consistent with remarks co-founder Ren Ito made at the G7 summit in Evian last week, where AI access and export controls were one of the central topics. “We’d characterize the current moment in those terms rather than as a permanent realignment toward any one set of players.”
Sakana co-founder Ren Ito elaborated on that view in an op-ed published in the Project Syndicate last week. He urged the US federal government, that consider that its “ first priority should be to preserve access, ” for America’s closest allies, and argued that “AI should not become a technology that is hoarded; it should be one that is developed together.”
David Ha, co-founder and CEO of Sakana, described Fugu as more than just a land grab during a vulnerable moment for a US competitors. It is designed to coordinate agent usage among many models.
“Orchestration Models are the next frontier, beyond bigger models,” he wrote on X. Relying on a single provider for national infrastructure, he argued, is a risk the recent export controls made impossible to ignore.
“Access to top models can disappear overnight,” he wrote. “Collective intelligence is the practical hedge against this concentration of power.”
While Tokyo-based Sakana positioned Fugu as a hedge strategy, a way to preserve access to frontier AI, not replace it, China’s 360 wasn’t hedging.
The Chinese firm reportedly unveiled two AI security tools. Tulongfeng is designed to automatically discover software vulnerabilities, and Yitianzhen is built to automate cyber defence and incident response.
The product launch, however, came with a message. According to Reuters, 360’s founder Zhou Hongyi described vulnerability-finding AI as a national strategic asset, and flagged what he called the risk of “one-way transparency”, a situation in which some actors could access advanced vulnerability-detection capabilities while others could not.
Anthropic had been on a historic growth trajectory. The US AI lab said its run-rate revenue crossed $47 billion in May 2026. How much of that depends on Asian enterprise customers is not publicly known.
But in the weeks since the export order took effect, at least two companies, one in Tokyo, one in Beijing, have stepped into the space it left behind. Even if US companies could win back trust should this ban ever end, local alternatives, trained to better understand local language and nuance, are already filling the gap.
360 did not respond to a request for comment.
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Kate Park is a reporter at TechCrunch, with a focus on technology, startups and venture capital in Asia. She previously was a financial journalist at Mergermarket covering M&A, private equity and venture capital.
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Key takeaways
- The launch of new AI models in Asia may indicate a shift in the balance of power in the tech sector, particularly regarding dependence on U.S. models.
- Brazilian startups have the opportunity to develop AI solutions tailored to the local context, capitalizing on the demand for technologies that do not face export restrictions.
- Collaboration between Brazilian and Asian companies may intensify, especially in areas like cybersecurity and language models.
Editorial analysis
The recent introduction of AI models in Asia, such as Tulongfeng from 360 and Fugu from Sakana AI, highlights a significant shift in the global artificial intelligence landscape, especially at a time when U.S. export restrictions are creating gaps in the market. For the Brazilian tech sector, this represents an opportunity to observe how local startups can benefit from a less restrictive environment, potentially creating solutions that meet the specific needs of the national market without the limitations imposed by external policies.
Moreover, the current situation may encourage greater collaboration between Brazilian and Asian companies, particularly in areas like cybersecurity and language models tailored to specific cultural contexts. The ability to develop AI models that perform well with smaller datasets and are optimized for local language and culture is a competitive advantage that Brazilian startups can leverage, as they often face similar challenges.
What to watch for next is how these new AI offerings in Asia will impact market dynamics and whether they will gain the trust of local businesses and governments. The statement that U.S. models are still important to Asia suggests that while there is a movement towards local solutions, dependence on technologies developed in more liberal environments still persists. This raises questions about how Brazil can position its AI innovations to not only compete but also collaborate in an evolving global ecosystem.
Finally, the current situation may serve as a catalyst for Brazil to rethink its own approach to AI regulation and development. With rising geopolitical tensions and the need for AI solutions that respect local particularities, Brazil has the chance to establish itself as an innovation hub for AI in Latin America, drawing on lessons learned from what is happening in Asia and the U.S.
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