KDDI sealed a purchase agreement with Sharp to acquire its former LCD screen factory in Sakai city to build an AI data centre powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with the aim to start operations by end-March 2026.

In a statement, the operator noted the new data centre in Osaka prefecture will be equipped with Nvidia GB200 GPUs and will be capable of developing large-scale generative AI models with trillions of parameters.

It added the site will use the latest power supply and water-cooling technologies to reduce power consumption.

KDDI agreed to purchase the land, buildings and electrical facilities from Sharp, which is owned by Foxconn.

KDDI subsidiary Telehouse operates more than 45 data centres around the world.

In 2024, the KDDI Group advanced a target to reach carbon neutrality and acquire more than half the electricity it uses from renewable sources by 2030. It previously aimed for carbon neutrality by 2050.