NTT Data Nears Deal to Build Anthropic's First Japan Data Center in Osaka

NTT Data is in the final stage of talks to build Anthropic's first data center in Japan, according to a report by Nikkei published on 12 October 2026. The planned site is in Osaka. It would draw up to 500 megawatts of power, which the reporting describes as one of the largest capacities in Japan. Construction costs could reach 1 trillion yen, or about $6.3 billion, according to AI Weekly's summary of the Nikkei report.

The deal is not signed yet.

The two companies are aiming to sign by 31 March 2027, the end of Japan's 2026 fiscal year. Partial operations are targeted for 2028, AI Weekly reports. The Information, which also covered the talks in a short briefing, describes the discussions as being in their final stages and attributes the report to Nikkei. No construction or completion timeline appears in its free summary.

Why the timing matters.

AI companies increasingly plan around power and building capacity, not only around access to chips. A facility of 500 megawatts is large, and its scale is the main reason the talks have drawn attention. The partial 2028 start date also means the capacity will take a while to arrive. Anyone expecting near-term Japanese capacity from this deal should plan for a multi-year wait.

Who does what is less clear.

NTT Data is the IT services arm of Japan's NTT group. The reporting describes it as the party that would build the facility, but it does not say who would own or run the site once it is open. How the 1 trillion yen cost would be shared between the two companies is also not stated. The Information's briefing names both companies in the byline and mentions the Osaka prefecture location, but the rest of its article sits behind a paywall.

Several things remain unknown. Neither the reports reviewed nor the summaries include a statement from Anthropic or NTT Data. It is not clear whether the talks will conclude by the March 2027 target, what partial operations in 2028 would include, or how the site would be powered and cooled. Nikkei's figures have not been independently checked.

For readers tracking Anthropic's expansion beyond the United States, the signal to watch is a formal announcement from either company, which would name the site, the owner and a firm schedule. Until then, the figures above should be treated as reported rather than confirmed. Anyone coordinating work across Japan and other regions can compare local times with the free world clock at /en/world-clock.