NTT Data in talks to build up to 500 MW Osaka data center for Anthropic, costing $6.3 bn
anthropic
| Source: Techmeme | Original article
NTT Data is in final talks to construct a up‑to‑500 MW data center for Anthropic in Osaka, one of Japan’s largest projects, with an estimated cost of $6.3 billion.
NTT Data Group is in the final stages of negotiations to build a new data centre for U.S. AI firm Anthropic in Osaka, sources told Nikkei Asia. The facility would be capable of delivering up to 500 MW of power – a capacity that would rank it among the largest data‑centre sites in Japan – and is estimated to cost about $6.3 billion.
The deal marks Anthropic’s first major infrastructure investment in Japan and signals a broader shift as leading AI developers seek high‑density compute outside the United States. A data centre of this scale can support the training and inference of the next generation of large language models, giving Anthropic a local foothold in a market that is increasingly competitive on both speed and data‑privacy grounds. For Japan, the project underscores the country’s ambition to become a hub for advanced AI workloads, leveraging its reliable power grid and growing renewable‑energy mix.
The announcement follows Anthropic’s recent efforts to harden its models against data‑harvesting attacks, a move that has drawn attention to the company’s expanding operational footprint. While the exact timeline remains unclear, the partnership will likely require coordination with regional utilities to secure the substantial electricity supply and may prompt scrutiny over energy consumption and sustainability.
What to watch next are the formal signing of the agreement, the detailed design and construction schedule, and any regulatory clearances needed for such a high‑power installation. Observers will also be keen to see whether other AI firms follow Anthropic’s lead in Japan, potentially sparking a wave of new data‑centre projects across the region.
Sources
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