Settled in Osaka: Anthropic’s first Japanese data center is about to be finalized, and 500MW of computing power will cost trillions of yen. Anthropic is building its first overseas computing power fortress in Kansai, Japan.

Settled in Osaka: Anthropic’s first Japanese data center is about to be finalized, and 500MW of computing power will cost trillions of yen. Anthropic is building its first overseas computing power fortress in Kansai, Japan. According to Nikkei Asia’s local time report today, negotiations between Anthropic and NTT DATA regarding the former’s first local data center in Japan have reached the final stage. The two parties are expected to sign a final agreement within this fiscal year, and the facility will not be partially lit and put into operation until 2028 at the earliest. For the AI ​​laboratory, which has always kept computing power in its own hands, this is equivalent to establishing a long-term strategic base on the Pacific West Coast in advance. The site was selected in Osaka, and the planned scale was headed towards 500MW. What is this concept? For civil construction and infrastructure construction alone, the bill has exceeded 1 trillion yen, which is equivalent to approximately 42.3 billion yuan based on the current exchange rate. A large number of high-value AI chips will be stuffed into it in the future. The real money-burning bulk is still to come. For Anthropic, this is not about simply renting a few rows of cabinets, but about taking a complete set of computing power lifelines from power supply to training and pushing directly into Japan. The most intriguing thing is its power supply idea. The report mentioned that the data center will initially take the "behind-the-meter power supply" route - that is, it will use on-site power generation methods such as fuel cells to generate its own electricity, rather than relying on large-scale supporting equipment from the external power grid. Doing so is equivalent to leaving time for the surrounding power infrastructure to be put in place, allowing the computing power to run first, and then slowly making up for the dependence on the external power grid. At a time when AI data centers in various countries are worrying about grabbing power, Anthropic's "light a small stove first" arrangement actually shows a kind of pragmatic patience. via AI News (author: AI Base)