Japan’s NTT Data Group, a subsidiary of telecommunications giant NTT, is in the final stages of negotiations to build a dedicated data centre for U.S. artificial‑intelligence company Anthropic in Osaka, western Japan. The project, reported by the Nikkei business daily, would be Anthropic’s first purpose‑built facility in the country.
Project scope and timeline
According to multiple sources, construction costs could rise to as much as 1 trillion yen (about $6.3 billion). The facility is planned to have a power intake capacity of up to 500 megawatts, with partial operations potentially beginning as early as 2028. NTT Data and Anthropic aim to sign a definitive agreement by the end of fiscal 2026, which concludes on March 31.
Strategic significance
The data centre will provide Anthropic with a local, high‑capacity platform to support its AI model training and inference workloads, reducing reliance on overseas infrastructure and enhancing service latency for Japanese customers. For NTT Data, the deal represents a major expansion of its data‑centre portfolio and a deepening partnership with a leading AI developer.
Company statements
NTT declined to comment on the negotiations, and a spokesperson for the broader NTT Group was not immediately available for comment.
Broader context
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI researchers, has been rapidly scaling its AI offerings worldwide. The Osaka data centre aligns with Japan’s broader push to attract high‑tech investment and strengthen its position in the global AI ecosystem.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
