SoftBank’s Son Unveils AI Data Center Project in Ohio

Piketon, Ohio, March 20 (Jiji Press)–Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., on Friday unveiled plans to construct a large-scale artificial intelligence data center in Ohio. The initial investment, including external funds, will reach 500 billion dollars, and the construction will start by the end of this year, according to Son. On Friday, SoftBank Group held a groundbreaking ceremony with U.S. government officials for a gas-fired power plant construction project in Ohio, which is the first round of Japan’s 550-billion-dollar investment and loan pledge under a bilateral tariff deal. Attending the ceremony, Son said a total of 1.5 trillion dollars will be invested in the data center over the next 20 years, stressing that it would be the largest investment in human history as a single project. SoftBank Group is a major shareholder of OpenAI, the operator of the ChatGPT generative AI chatbot. The gas-fired power plant will cost about 33 billion dollars to supply electricity for the AI sector, which continues to develop rapidly. Also on Friday, SoftBank Group announced that a consortium has been established with the aim of participating in a power plant and AI infrastructure construction project. A total of 21 companies, including Japanese companies such as Toshiba Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and MUFG Bank, as well as U.S. financial giant Goldman Sachs, intend to join the consortium. Son told reporters, “We don’t have enough electricity right now.” Power supply for data centers is very tight, he said, underlining the significance of building power plants. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick welcomed the initiative at the ceremony, noting that the project, funded by Japanese capital, would enable the procurement of stable and affordable electricity. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]