NTT DATA in talks for $6.3bn Anthropic data centre in Japan

Osaka Prefecture, Japan - NTT DATA Group is reportedly in the final stages of discussions to develop a major data centre in western Japan for US artificial intelligence company Anthropic.

The proposed facility would be located in Osaka Prefecture and, if the agreement proceeds, would become Anthropic's first dedicated data centre in Japan.

The companies are aiming to reach an agreement by the end of Japan's fiscal 2026, which runs through March 2027, according to unnamed sources cited by Nikkei Asia.

Partial operations could begin as early as 2028.

Neither NTT DATA nor Anthropic commented on the reported discussions when approached by Nikkei Asia.

Construction costs for the project could reach ¥1 trillion, approximately $6.3 billion, according to the sources.

The facility is also expected to have a total power intake capacity of as much as 500MW. At that scale, it could rank among Japan's largest data centres by power capacity.

The proposed development would provide dedicated infrastructure for Anthropic's AI operations in Japan as demand for high-performance computing capacity continues to increase.

AI data centres require large numbers of graphics processing units, or GPUs, to train and operate advanced AI models. The installation of substantial volumes of high-performance servers could take overall investment in the facility and its computing infrastructure into the several-trillion-yen range.

The project remains under discussion and no final agreement has yet been announced.