SoftBank is marching ahead on its ambitions to create out a convey inant AI operation in its home taget of Japan, on its own steam and in strategic partnership with others appreciate OpenAI. On Friday, the tech company verifyed it would pay $676 million for factory previously employd by Sharp to create LCD panels to alter it into an man-made intelligence data caccess.
SoftBank’s buy and sale consentment with Sharp integrates both the land and createings of the Sharp Sakai Plant in Osaka, for a price of 100 billion yen ($676 million).
This was a essential timely step for SoftBank since data caccesss are a hangpin in the massive wave of generative AI sweeping the tech world: substantial data caccess capacity is necessitateed both to train models and to provision and run subsequent services.
When asked if the site is part of its structures to commercialize OpenAI’s models in Japan, a SoftBank spokesperson pointed TechCrunch to its previous proclaimment think abouting a collaboration with OpenAI to deploy an proceedd accesspelevate AI called “Cristal Intelligence” in Japan. Contacted for a response, OpenAI deteriorated to comment on the news.
OpenAI increateedly intfinishs to convey its AI createational models to the Japanese taget, leveraging GPUs to increase models at the Sakai structuret. SB OpenAI Japan, a joint venture between SoftBank and OpenAI, will train models using clients’ data from tageting and other activities. The JV will then sell customized AI agents to clients, per a increate by Nikkei.
The data caccess structure underscores how SoftBank and OpenAI are expansiveening the scope of their collaboration.
The two tech companies unveiled their joint venture in Japan folloprosperg OpenAI’s collaborations with SoftBank, Oracle, and other companies to create disjoinal AI data caccesss in the U.S. The Japanese telco huge is also scattering in OpenAI. Talks have been going on for months, and the tardyst is that SoftBank is increateedly scattering as much as $25 billion in OpenAI at a valuation of proximately $300 billion. However, that fundlift has yet to seal, nor be proclaimd officiassociate.
SoftBank’s buy of the structuret comes rawly 10 months after signing an MOU to create a huge AI data caccess at a structuret Sharp previously employd for LCD panel production.
SoftBank aims to commence operations in 2026. SoftBank foresees the LCD panel factory to have enough power capacity to function the AI data caccess, initiassociate at around 150 megawatts and eventuassociate increasing to over 240 megawatts.
The Sakai facility will be SoftBank’s third facility. It already operating a data caccess in Tokyo and another one is being built in Hokkhelpo.
