David Ha

David Ha
BornBritish Hong Kong
CitizenshipCanadian
EducationUniversity of Toronto (BS, MS), University of Tokyo (PhD)
OccupationMachine learning researcher
EmployerSakana AI

David Ha is a Canadian machine learning researcher, co-founder and CEO of Sakana AI.

Biography

Ha was born in British Hong Kong. He received an undergraduate degree in engineering science and a masters in mathematical finance from the University of Toronto and a PhD from the University of Tokyo. He worked as a derivatives trader, becoming a managing director at Goldman Sachs in Japan. For six years he worked at Google as a researcher, helping create and lead Google Brain in Tokyo. In 2022, Ha left Google to join Stability AI as head of research. In June 2023, he resigned from Stability to found Sakana AI along with his former Google colleague Llion Jones, also joined by Ren Ito. Ha was named one of TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025.

References

  1. ↑ Forster, Katie (September 10, 2025). "Top Japan startup Sakana AI touts nature-inspired tech". The Japan Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 Lee, Min Jeong; Katsuki, Natsuko (2024-04-12). "Google alums go big in Japan with months-old startup Sakana AI". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  3. ↑ "David Ha named to Time100 AI 2025". U of T Celebrates. University of Toronto. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  4. ↑ David, Ha (2022-05-26). Abstractions in Machine Learning (PhD thesis). The University of Tokyo. doi:10.15083/0002012010. Retrieved 2026-08-30.
  5. 1 2 "David Ha". Milken Institute. 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  6. ↑ Moharana, Pabitra (2025-12-24). "How is David Ha Transforming AI in Japan?". Analytics India Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  7. ↑ Dean, Jeff (January 5, 2017). "Google Brain Residency Program - 7 months in and looking ahead". Google Research (Blog).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ Crichton, Danny (February 14, 2024). "How an anonymous blog during the neural network winter led to Japan's national AI champion". Riskgaming (Interview).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Murgia, Madhumita (2023-08-17). "Top Google AI experts pick Japan to set up on their own". Financial Times. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  10. 1 2 Metz, Rachel (2023-06-26). "Stability AI Head of Research Resigns From Startup". Bloomberg.
  11. ↑ Novet, Jordan (2023-08-17). "Google A.I. researcher says he left to build a startup after encountering 'big company-itis'". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  12. ↑ Ryuichi, Maruyama (2025-03-07). "[Special Feature: The Future of AI in Japan]: Can Tokyo be a global hub for AI development? Interview with Ren Ito, co-founder of fast-rising Sakana AI". ScienceJapan. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  13. ↑ Booth, Harry (2025-08-27). "David Ha: The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025". TIME.