NTT Data is in the final stages of talks to build a data centre in Osaka for Anthropic — the US AI company’s first dedicated facility in Japan — in a project that could cost up to 1 trillion yen (about $6.3 billion), Nikkei reported. Why it matters: Anthropic’s infrastructure footprint is expanding beyond the US, and Japan is positioning itself as a major home for AI compute in Asia.
October 13, 2026 — Reuters reported the Nikkei story on Tuesday, citing multiple sources. Neither company has confirmed the plan: NTT declined to comment, and NTT Group was not immediately available for comment, according to Reuters.
What is being discussed?
The proposed facility would be built in Osaka, in western Japan, for Anthropic. It would have power intake capacity of up to 500 megawatts — a scale that would place it among Japan’s largest computing facilities — with partial operations starting as early as 2028.
Construction costs could reach up to 1 trillion yen, or about $6.3 billion. NTT Data, a unit of the telecommunications group NTT, and Anthropic are aiming to sign an agreement by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, according to the report.
Framing matters here: this is a reported negotiation in its final stages, not a signed deal. Costs, capacity and timing could change, or the talks could still fail to produce an agreement.
Why Japan, and why now?
Frontier AI companies need enormous, reliable power and data-centre capacity outside a single home market, both to serve growing demand in Asia and to give enterprise and government customers a local option. A dedicated Anthropic facility in Japan would be a step-change from simply renting cloud capacity in the region.
For NTT Data, landing a build of this size for one of the leading US AI labs would be a flagship win in the global race to construct AI infrastructure — the same race that has hyperscalers and telecoms groups committing tens of billions worldwide.
Why it matters
If signed on the reported terms, this would be one of the largest single AI data-centre projects announced in Japan, at up to 500 megawatts and $6.3 billion in construction costs alone. It also signals that Anthropic — until now associated mainly with US cloud partnerships — is planning owned, dedicated capacity in Asia well into the next decade, with first operations targeted for 2028. We will update readers if the companies confirm the agreement; until then, treat the figures as reported, not final. Everything AI, tested — including, where necessary, tested against what companies will actually say on the record.
Frequently asked questions
Has Anthropic confirmed a data centre in Japan?
No. Nikkei reported final-stage talks, citing multiple sources. NTT declined to comment in Reuters’ reporting, and no agreement has been announced.
How big would the Osaka data centre be?
Up to 500 megawatts of power intake capacity, with construction costs reported at up to 1 trillion yen (about $6.3 billion) and partial operations possible as early as 2028.
When could a deal be signed?
The companies are aiming to sign by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, according to the Nikkei report via Reuters.
Sources: Reuters, Nikkei (via Reuters)