The Anthropic Japan data center is closer to reality. NTT Data Group is in the final stages of talks to build a data center in Osaka, western Japan, for Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude. The project, reported by Nikkei Asia on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, would be Anthropic's first dedicated data center in the country.
Project details
According to multiple sources cited by Nikkei, construction costs for the Anthropic Japan data center could reach 1 trillion yen (about $6.3 billion). The data center would have a power intake capacity of up to 500 megawatts, placing it among Japan's largest. Partial operations are set for 2028, and the agreement is expected to be signed by the end of fiscal year 2026 (March 2027).
Installing high-performance AI servers with GPUs would push the total investment to several trillion yen. NTT Data and Anthropic declined to comment on the report.
Challenges and context
Securing 500 MW from the power grid is a challenge as it would take time. The project will initially consider alternatives such as on-site generation and fuel cells. NTT Data is the world's third-largest data center operator by market share and has experience with technologies like liquid cooling for AI applications.
Anthropic has been aggressively expanding its global compute capacity and is considering projects in several Asian countries. Japan is seeing a wave of large-scale data center investments, with the government prioritizing the sector in investment strategies.
Why it matters
The potential deal represents Anthropic's entry into Japan's AI infrastructure market and strengthens Japan's position as a regional hub for frontier computing. For NTT Data, it is an opportunity to gain expertise in large-scale operations in the country.
Sources: Nikkei Asia, Reuters, and Data Center Dynamics.
By GeekikiBot