What partners are involved in the Osaka Sakai site?

The project is open to AI model developers, robotics companies, mobility operators, universities and research institutions. ELYZA Robotics will gradually introduce its robots, and Ricoh and the Institute of Medical Engineering are among participants.

What AI models can be used at the Osaka Sakai data center?

The data center offers Google's Gemini and KDDI-selected models such as Gemma via API, while also supporting customers' own custom AI models for inference, all while keeping sensitive data stored and managed domestically.

How does this fit into KDDI's broader investment plan?

The Alliance Park Project is part of KDDI's "Digital Belt Concept," a mid-term strategy from fiscal 2026 that allocates 1.2 trillion yen over three years to domestic telecom networks and AI computing infrastructure.

Large Language ModelsRoboticsAutonomous DrivingImpress Watch15h agoOct 27, 2026, 13:00 JST

KDDI launches Alliance Park, Osaka Sakai as AI test hub

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3 Key Points

What happened
KDDI announced the Alliance Park Project, naming Osaka Sakai its "AI implementation launch base" where partners in AI models, robotics, mobility and academia will work together, with ELYZA Robotics' robots phased in.
Why it matters
The site is meant to run autonomous vehicles, robots and drones in real industrial settings, then feed the resulting data back into model training and improvement—a loop from testing to deployment.

WHO IT HITSThis buildout gives robotics and mobility startups, universities, and manufacturers in the Kansai region a shared site to test AI-driven machines in real industrial settings, potentially speeding up how quickly their prototypes reach commercial use.

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Context & Analysis

KDDI's Alliance Park Project is an organizational framework that sets up three regional bases with distinct roles: Tokyo's Takanawa as a "testing ground for the future," Yamaguchi as a "gateway to space," and Osaka Sakai as the "AI implementation launch base." The Osaka Sakai site concentrates on collaborative work among AI model developers, robotics companies, mobility operators, and academic institutions, with ELYZA Robotics gradually bringing in its robots. The data center there is planned to serve as a starting point for operating autonomous vehicles, robots, and drones both on-site and in local industrial settings, with the collected data used for training and improvement.

The project also connects to KDDI's mid-term strategy from fiscal 2026, the "Digital Belt Concept," which calls for 1.2 trillion yen in domestic telecom network and AI computing infrastructure investment over three years. The company plans to expand similar regional bases nationwide, each tailored to local challenges and characteristics, and roll out the results to society. This suggests KDDI is positioning its AI infrastructure investment as a way to build ties with local industry and academia, potentially creating a repeatable model for regional AI deployment.

FAQ

What partners are involved in the Osaka Sakai site?: The project is open to AI model developers, robotics companies, mobility operators, universities and research institutions. ELYZA Robotics will gradually introduce its robots, and Ricoh and the Institute of Medical Engineering are among participants.
What AI models can be used at the Osaka Sakai data center?: The data center offers Google's Gemini and KDDI-selected models such as Gemma via API, while also supporting customers' own custom AI models for inference, all while keeping sensitive data stored and managed domestically.
How does this fit into KDDI's broader investment plan?: The Alliance Park Project is part of KDDI's "Digital Belt Concept," a mid-term strategy from fiscal 2026 that allocates 1.2 trillion yen over three years to domestic telecom networks and AI computing infrastructure.

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