SoftBank continues to advance its plans to establish major artificial intelligence projects in the Japanese market. The company has announced that it will purchase a former Sharp factory for 100 billion yen (approximately $676 million) in collaboration with OpenAI to develop cutting-edge AI technologies for Japan.
The factory is located in Osaka, Japan, and was previously used for the production of LCD (liquid crystal display) panels. Now, SoftBank plans to convert this factory into a data center for artificial intelligence.
Large-scale data centers are essential for developing and managing AI technologies. SoftBank and OpenAI plan to develop specialized AI models at this factory and make this technology accessible to businesses in Japan.
SoftBank's goal is to commercialize OpenAI's AI models in Japan. To achieve this, a joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan has been established. This venture will develop AI models based on data from clients' marketing and other activities and will sell these models as customized AI agents to clients.
The purchase of this factory strengthens SoftBank's partnership with OpenAI, and the company plans to begin operations at this data center in 2026. The factory's previous energy capacity is approximately 150 megawatts, with plans to increase it to 240 megawatts in the future.
This will be SoftBank's third data center in Japan. The company already operates a data center in Tokyo, and another is under construction in Hokkaido.
