en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan's SoftBank Corp. officially announced in Tokyo on May 11, 2026, the launch of a gigawatt-hour (GWh) scale innovative battery business in Japan, directly targeting the explosive electricity demand driven by the proliferation of artificial intelligence. SoftBank President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa personally finalized this new green energy industry layout spanning from R&D to manufacturing, aiming to build the next-generation power infrastructure supporting the AI era.
According to the plan, SoftBank will center its operations around the AI data center under construction at the former Sharp plant site in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, establishing a dedicated GX Factory (Green Transformation Factory). It plans to commence large-scale manufacturing of battery cells and energy storage systems from fiscal year 2027 (i.e., before March 2028), targeting a GWh-level annual mass production capacity around fiscal year 2028. SoftBank clearly stated that the domestically produced batteries will prioritize ensuring stable power supply for its self-built large-scale AI data centers, and will gradually expand into domestic grid energy storage, industrial, and residential sectors, while seeking to expand into global markets in the medium term.
Another core highlight of this business launch lies in the disruptive safety of its technological approach. SoftBank will collaborate with two South Korean companies possessing next-generation core technologies, forging a new path of "intrinsic safety." In the cell domain, SoftBank has partnered with South Korea's COSMOS LAB to co-develop a brand-new "Zinc-Halogen" battery. The electrolyte of this innovative cell is pure water, thus physically eliminating the fire risk associated with the flammable organic electrolytes used in current mainstream lithium-ion batteries. Simultaneously, the cell's energy efficiency is comparable to lithium batteries, and key raw materials can be procured domestically in Japan, greatly ensuring supply chain security. At the energy storage system integration level, SoftBank has brought in South Korean AI and system design company DeltaX, utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as Cell Connection System (CCS) and Cell-to-Pack (CTP), combined with SoftBank's self-developed energy management system featuring integrated AI power demand forecasting, striving to create a battery energy storage system with world-leading energy density. This technology and partnership model also makes SoftBank's new factory one of the leading large-scale energy storage battery production bases in Japan.
Viewed against the backdrop of comprehensive development models and domestic policy direction, SoftBank's move aims to build a reliable, stable, and green computing power energy advantage amidst the global energy anxiety prevalent in data computing centers. TEPCO advisor Masayasu Suzuki commented on the project: "SoftBank's deep foray into energy storage manufacturing is both a key measure to address the power bottleneck of AI data centers and an important bellwether for global tech giants advancing the 'Computing-Power Synergy' strategy. By integrating data centers with energy storage production capacity, SoftBank not only solidifies the foundation for its own AI development but also provides strong support for Japan's new power infrastructure construction, renewable energy consumption, and supply chain security." SoftBank has set a target for its domestic battery business to achieve annual revenue exceeding 100 billion yen by fiscal year 2030. The deeper strategic intent behind this move is to accelerate its transformation from a telecommunications operator to a core AI infrastructure service provider through this full value chain layout.
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