NTT in talks to build $6.3 billion Anthropic data center in Japan

NTT Data Group Corp. is in advanced negotiations to construct a dedicated data center for the American AI startup Anthropic in Osaka, Japan. The project, located in a coastal area of southern Osaka Prefecture, is estimated to cost up to 1 trillion yen (approximately $6.3 billion).

If finalized, the facility would be one of Japan’s largest computing sites built for a single AI developer. Anthropic, which opened its first Asian office in Tokyo last year, would serve as the anchor customer. The project aims for partial operations to begin by 2028.

The initiative aligns with NTT’s broader strategy to increase its domestic data center IT power capacity from 300 MW to 1 GW by fiscal year 2033, supported by an investment exceeding $9 billion. The Japanese government has expressed interest in the project; Digital Minister Toshiharu Furukawa recently met with Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark to discuss the country as a potential site for such infrastructure, citing national security benefits regarding data sovereignty and local processing.