SoftBank Launches Battery Business in Japan to Support Power Demand for AI Data Centers
SoftBank Group announced the launch of its battery business in Japan, focusing on the research and development and production of battery cells and energy storage systems. The facility will be located in the former Sakai factory area of Sharp in Osaka, and a large AI data center park is planned. The business is expected to start operations in fiscal year 2028 with capacity in the gigawatt-hour range, initially supplying its own AI data centers before expanding to the market. This move aims to meet the growing power demand for AI data centers.