SoftBank Launches 65 Billion Yen AI Data Center Project in Hokkaido

SAPPORO, Apr 17 (News On Japan) - A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 15th in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, for one of Japan's largest data centers, which is scheduled for completion in fiscal 2026.

Telecom giant SoftBank and its subsidiary IDC Frontier have begun construction of the "Hokkaido Tomakomai AI Data Center."

The facility is being built to handle the rapid increase in data processing and electricity consumption driven by the growing use of AI, with a total investment of 65 billion yen.

Currently, about 80% of data centers in Japan are concentrated in urban areas, prompting a push to develop such infrastructure in regional locations to mitigate risks during natural disasters.

"We're building an AI data center of this scale in Tomakomai, and we want this to become the core of an industrial cluster," said SoftBank President Junichi Miyagawa.

The site covers 700,000 square meters, with a target power consumption capacity of 300 megawatts, one of the largest in the country. The project is expected to be completed in fiscal 2026.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

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