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SoftBank buys $676M old Sharp plant for its OpenAI collab in Japan
Tokyo-based technology conglomerate SoftBank has acquired a $676 million old Sharp plant, which will be converted into an artificial intelligence data center. The move is seen as a significant step towards realizing the company’s ambitious plans to build out a major AI operation in its home market of Japan.
The acquisition, which includes both the land and buildings of the Sharp Sakai Plant in Osaka, comes roughly 10 months after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sharp to construct a large AI data center. SoftBank aims to commence operations at the facility by 2026.
As part of its strategy to develop an advanced enterprise AI called “Cristal Intelligence” with OpenAI, SoftBank plans to utilize the Sakai plant as a key location for training and running models. This is seen as a crucial step in the development of generative AI, which requires substantial data center capacity both to train and provision subsequent services.
The move highlights the company’s commitment to collaborating with leading innovators like OpenAI to accelerate advancements in AI capabilities.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/14/softbank-buys-676m-old-sharp-plant-for-its-openai-collab-in-japan/
