The Japanese company launches a new sustainable data center in the north of the country, key to its artificial intelligence and quantum computing strategy.
SoftBank has taken a crucial step in its ambitious technological roadmap with the start of construction on its new data center in Tomakomai, on Hokkaido Island. With an initial investment of approximately $455 million (65 billion yen), this center is part of the company’s strategic plan to build what it calls the “Next Generation Social Infrastructure”, a distributed and sustainable network that will serve as the backbone for artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and the development of smart cities.
This new data center, which is part of its “Brain DataCenter” network, will play a key role as a processing node for future applications of generative AI, advanced robotics, and connected systems for autonomous vehicles. SoftBank plans to begin operations in 2026 with an initial capacity of 50 MW, but the project allows for scalability of up to 300 MW and even up to 1 GW in the long term, thanks to strategically secured land in the region.
A sustainable and decentralized energy model
One of the pillars of the Hokkaido data center is its energy autonomy based on local renewable sources, making it an example of “local production and consumption” applied to the tech sector. This approach not only helps reduce the carbon footprint of the infrastructure but also ensures greater resilience against supply interruptions.
This eco-friendly and distributed design is an integral part of SoftBank’s “xIPF” (super distributed computing infrastructure) strategy, which will allow data centers located in different regions to operate virtually as if they were a single facility, ensuring operational continuity and disaster prevention.
AI, quantum computing, and optical networks: the technological core
The center will be complemented by the installation of powerful computing systems for AI, including next-generation GPUs from NVIDIA (A100, H100, and B200), as well as the development of a collaboration platform between supercomputers and quantum computers. SoftBank is collaborating with the RIKEN research institute for this purpose, with support from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and NEDO.
Additionally, the nationwide deployment of SoftBank’s “fully optical network” has been completed, which reduces energy consumption for data transmissions by up to 90% and supports future applications such as 6G and smart cities.
A Japanese LLM to reduce dependency on foreign technologies
The project is also aligned with the development of the first large-scale language model (LLM) focused on the Japanese language, developed by the subsidiary SB Intuitions Corp. The model, with 390 billion parameters and aspirations to reach one trillion, seeks to provide a system trained with data specific to the Japanese language and culture, which is crucial for sectors such as finance, law, and healthcare. Its AI computing infrastructure—expected to reach 25.7 exaFLOPS—already positions SoftBank among the technological leaders in Asia.
The LLM will be offered under PaaS, SaaS, and IaaS models, with customized solutions for businesses, including automated call centers, conversational assistants, and intelligent data analytics platforms.
A project with national ambition
In addition to supporting SoftBank’s own services, the data center will be available for universities, research institutes, and businesses, enhancing the Japanese tech ecosystem with cutting-edge infrastructure that will help reduce the country’s technological deficit and foster homegrown innovation.
As Junichi Miyakawa, CEO of SoftBank, summarized during the groundbreaking ceremony: “We want this center to be the starting point for a new Hokkaido, leading the development of the most advanced AI from Japan.”