PIKETON, Ohio, United States (US): SoftBank Group Corp. plans to invest USD500 billion (RM2.35 trillion) to build an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre in Ohio, with construction to begin sometime this year, the conglomerate’s chairman and CEO said Friday, Kyodo News reported.
Masayoshi Son, who attended a White House dinner on Thursday hosted by US President Donald Trump for visiting Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, said the investment would be one of the largest in a single location.
Son made the announcement after attending a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for a 9.2 gigawatt gas-fired power plant in Piketon, Ohio.
The project would be part of the USD550 billion (RM2.585 trillion) commitment made by Japan last year in a deal with the US for tariff relief.
“We are going to do the largest construction project” in the country, US Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, said at the event.
The data centre will be attached to the power plant and draw a massive amount of electricity to run AI systems. The US$500 billion figure will include spending on AI-related semiconductors.
SoftBank Group said the same day it had launched the Portsmouth Consortium with 21 Japanese and US companies – including three Japanese megabanks and Goldman Sachs – for the large-scale power generation and AI infrastructure development project. – BERNAMA-KYODO
