SoftBank Bets Big on Next-Gen Data Center Batteries in Japan
SoftBank teams up with Korean firms to build massive battery production for AI-hungry data centers in Osaka.
SoftBank's mobile division is jumping into battery manufacturing. The company announced a partnership with South Korea's Cosmos Lab and DeltaX to mass produce next-generation data center batteries at its facility in Sakai, Osaka.
The target: one gigawatt-hour of annual production capacity by fiscal year 2027. That's serious scale, aimed squarely at the exploding power demands driven by AI services.
The move underscores a growing reality in tech — AI infrastructure isn't just about chips and software anymore. Power supply and energy storage have become critical bottlenecks as data centers balloon in size and consumption.
SoftBank is essentially vertically integrating its AI ambitions, securing energy infrastructure alongside its broader tech investments. Manufacturing will happen on Japanese soil, with Korean partners supplying the battery expertise.
It's a bold play in an increasingly competitive race to power the AI boom.