NTT's Anthropic data center among Japan's unconventional AI site push

The push comes as AI use spreads and new data centers are announced one after another. NTT's Osaka plan for Anthropic is the most prominent recent example, and the government's Japan Growth Strategy, approved by the Cabinet in July, calls for strengthening power and communications infrastructure to support data center buildout, positioning the domestic cloud and data center market as a growth market already around 4 trillion yen and expanding more than 20% a year.

The obstacles are practical. Building from plan to operation takes years, GPU servers generate large amounts of heat that demands stronger cooling equipment, and connecting to the transmission grid can be slow because of the power involved. Local reception is mixed: residents in Inzai, Chiba, have sued over a data center plan near the station, while Osaka is trying to smooth the way with its public-private council and tax relief.

In response, IT companies and data center builders and operators are testing alternatives. Reuse of Sharp factory sites, a tunnel-based underground data center developed by Mitsui Fudosan and others, conversion of closed schools in Saga Prefecture, and even Elon Musk's space concept are listed, each reflecting an attempt to secure land, power and cooling outside conventional sites.