AI data center development in Japan

EXCEED Energy, a member of the EXGROW Group, announced a new business initiative to develop and manage AI-oriented data centers in Japan. The company plans to provide infrastructure for high-density GPU server installations, utilizing liquid cooling technologies. Their strategy includes large-scale facilities (10MW to 100MW) involving discussions with international investors from the Middle East, alongside smaller high-voltage facilities of approximately 1.5MW.

Development efforts have expanded to include major regional projects. In Akita, a large-scale AI data center project with a capacity of up to 500MW and an estimated investment of 2 trillion yen is underway, attracting interest from the UAE-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment. This project is part of a Green Transformation (GX) Strategic Region initiative aimed at using decarbonized power, such as wind, to attract industrial clusters.

Simultaneously, in Utsunomiya, a corporate group including Mitsubishi Estate has been named the preferred negotiator for a new data center project intended to support the city’s infrastructure goals.