{"id":"7cc3015d-47e3-41e5-b9f1-3f120ead46ef","slug":"softbank-openai-sakai-osaka","name":"SoftBank/OpenAI Sakai AI Data Center (former Sharp LCD plant)","aliases":["Sharp Sakai AI data center","SB OpenAI Japan Sakai","Stargate Japan Sakai"],"locationId":"e4867342-5fd9-4533-ae42-af1e5dd82729","lat":34.5833,"lng":135.4667,"locationPrecision":"city","landStatus":"brownfield","lifecycleState":"under_construction","powerSourceMix":"grid","interconnectionQueueStatus":null,"interconnectionQueueId":null,"expectedEnergizationDate":null,"dedicatedSubstation":null,"gridOperator":"other","waterSourceNotes":null,"servingUtility":null,"acreage":108.7,"totalBuildingSqft":null,"streetAddress":null,"notes":"SoftBank is converting a defunct Sharp LCD panel factory in Sakai, Osaka (bought for ~$676M / 100bn yen) into an AI data center, operated with OpenAI via the SB OpenAI Japan JV and positioned as the Japanese anchor of the Stargate project. Capacity starts around 150MW, expanding to over 240MW (reported up to ~250MW by FY2028); Nikkei estimated ~100,000 GPUs and total spend approaching ~$6.7B at full scale. Full GPU count and exact final capacity are not officially confirmed; nothing energized at announcement.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Site acquisition (announced)","value":"SoftBank Corp. signed a Mar 14 2025 purchase agreement with Sharp for land and buildings at the Sakai, Osaka LCD panel plant complex for about 100 billion yen ([SoftBank press release](https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/); English press reports about $676M ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/14/softbank-buys-676m-old-sharp-plant-for-its-openai-collab-in-japan/)))","sourceUrl":"https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/"},{"label":"Footprint (announced)","value":"About 450,000 sq m of land and about 840,000 sq m total floor area of buildings to be reused for an AI data center ([SoftBank, Mar 14 2025](https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/))","sourceUrl":"https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/"},{"label":"Receive capacity (announced)","value":"About 150 MW receive capacity targeting start of operations during 2026; SoftBank says it expects to expand receive capacity above 250 MW over time ([SoftBank, Mar 14 2025](https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/))","sourceUrl":"https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/"},{"label":"Intended use (announced)","value":"SoftBank says the facility will support generative AI development and other AI businesses, and will also be offered to universities, research institutes, and companies ([SoftBank, Mar 14 2025](https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/))","sourceUrl":"https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/"},{"label":"OpenAI collaboration (reported)","value":"Nikkei Asia and TechCrunch report SoftBank will operate AI agent / OpenAI collaboration workloads at the former Sharp plant (SB OpenAI Japan context). SoftBank's Japanese acquisition release does not itself name OpenAI; treat OpenAI offtake as press-reported ([Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/softbank-openai-to-run-ai-agents-at-former-sharp-lcd-plant); [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/14/softbank-buys-676m-old-sharp-plant-for-its-openai-collab-in-japan/))","sourceUrl":"https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/softbank-openai-to-run-ai-agents-at-former-sharp-lcd-plant"},{"label":"GPU / spend (HOLD)","value":"Nikkei-estimated GPU counts (~100,000) and ~$6.7B full-scale spend appear in secondary coverage only. Held pending SoftBank or OpenAI primary confirmation."}],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/14/softbank-buys-676m-old-sharp-plant-for-its-openai-collab-in-japan","date":"2025-03-14","title":"SoftBank buys $676M old Sharp plant for its OpenAI collab in Japan","publisher":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/softbank-buys-former-sharp-factory-for-676m-to-build-ai-data-center-in-osaka-japan/","date":"2025-03-14","title":"SoftBank buys former Sharp factory for $676m to build AI data center in Osaka, Japan","publisher":"Data Center Dynamics"},{"url":"https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/softbank-openai-to-run-ai-agents-at-former-sharp-lcd-plant","date":"2025-03-14","title":"SoftBank, OpenAI to run AI agents at former Sharp LCD plant","publisher":"Nikkei Asia"},{"url":"https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/press/sbkk/2025/20250314_01/","date":"2025-03-14","title":"SoftBank signs agreement to acquire Sharp Sakai plant land/buildings for AI data center","publisher":"SoftBank Corp."},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/14/softbank-buys-676m-old-sharp-plant-for-its-openai-collab-in-japan/","date":"2025-03-14","title":"SoftBank buys $676M old Sharp plant for its OpenAI collab in Japan","publisher":"TechCrunch"}],"reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:20:23.227Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-28T06:34:26.467Z","location":{"id":"e4867342-5fd9-4533-ae42-af1e5dd82729","name":"Sakai","slug":"sakai-osaka","kind":"city","parentLocationId":"6069944d-5b98-4cc4-a324-f7561a67c1ae","region":null,"lat":34.5833,"lng":135.4667,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"high","reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:20:22.756Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T03:20:12.226Z"},"parties":[{"id":"71dd8a73-a04a-4791-bfb6-10f296e1450e","dataCenterId":"7cc3015d-47e3-41e5-b9f1-3f120ead46ef","companyId":null,"externalName":"OpenAI","role":"offtaker","structureNotes":"Partner via SB OpenAI Japan JV; Cristal Intelligence workloads","createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:20:29.182Z","company":null},{"id":"7c940ad1-fa5a-458e-a4d5-1094ed70954c","dataCenterId":"7cc3015d-47e3-41e5-b9f1-3f120ead46ef","companyId":null,"externalName":"Sharp Corporation","role":"utility","structureNotes":"Seller of the former Sakai LCD factory (brownfield)","createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:20:29.966Z","company":null},{"id":"cf7682e0-98e2-470e-81b4-cab6b8078bab","dataCenterId":"7cc3015d-47e3-41e5-b9f1-3f120ead46ef","companyId":"e6707518-29cb-4bcd-baae-f6e93ebc46ff","externalName":"SoftBank Corp.","role":"developer","structureNotes":"Purchaser and operator of the site","createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:20:28.117Z","company":{"id":"e6707518-29cb-4bcd-baae-f6e93ebc46ff","name":"SoftBank Group","slug":"softbank-group"}},{"id":"f6fc8cae-5f0a-4fa5-8b7d-b1679857515a","dataCenterId":"7cc3015d-47e3-41e5-b9f1-3f120ead46ef","companyId":null,"externalName":"SoftBank Corp.","role":"operator","structureNotes":"SoftBank Corp. 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