SoftBank to Launch Battery Cell Production at Osaka Plant for AI Power
The move signals a bid to lock in reliable energy supply for growing data center demand by building storage in-house.
Overview
- SoftBank’s mobile unit said it will start mass production in the fiscal year beginning next April, targeting about 1 gigawatt-hour of battery systems per year with partners Cosmos Lab and DeltaX.
- The batteries will first support SoftBank’s AI data centers, with planned sales to grid projects, factories, and homes and an eye to expand into overseas markets.
- The company is converting a 440,000-square-meter former Sharp LCD factory in Sakai that it bought for about ¥100 billion, with production expected to begin in fiscal 2027 and a ramp to several GWh by fiscal 2028.
- SoftBank has not disclosed the battery chemistry, a choice that will shape cost, safety, and how its cells stack up against incumbents like CATL and Panasonic.
- The project is capital heavy and long term, with full capacity projected around 2031, and it sits alongside SoftBank’s more than 3 gigawatts of solar assets and its role in the Stargate AI infrastructure push as the firm carries sizable debt.