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SoftBank plans to transform a former Sharp LCD panel plant in Japan into a data centre for operating artificial intelligence agents developed in collaboration with U.S.-based ChatGPT creator, OpenAI, according to a Nikkei report on Friday.

The Japanese telecom giant intends to purchase the facility and part of the land at Sharp’s closed TV LCD factory in Osaka for about 100 billion yen (HK$5.24 billion).

The centre is expected to start operations in 2026 and will be one of the largest in Japan, boasting a power capacity of 150 megawatts.

The partnership aims to commercialize OpenAI's AI agent model in Japan, with plans to train the model on client companies' data and offer customised AI agents.

The investment is expected to be significant, potentially approaching 1 trillion yen, the Japanese media outlet reported.

Softbank and OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

STAFF REPORTER

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Japan February 3, 2025. REUTERS

SoftBank, OpenAI to build AI data centre in Japan, Nikkei reports