Tokyo, Japan - SoftBank Group and its subsidiary IDC Frontier are building a significant data center called "Core Brain" in Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture.
The facility is designed to provide computing power to support SoftBank's vision for next-generation digital infrastructure as AI adoption and 5G networks drive massive growth in data processing needs.
Why it matters:
The data center will establish a significant computing hub outside the Tokyo-Osaka concentration, improve resiliency, and take advantage of Hokkaido's renewable energy.
This will support Japan's technological competitiveness amid booming data demand.
The Key Points
- Core Brain to launch in 2026 with over 50 megawatts of capacity, expandable to 300 megawatts on a 700,000-square-meter campus
- Provides high-performance computing for SoftBank's AI R&D and enterprise services
- Uses renewable energy from SB Power and Hokkaido Electric Power
- Received subsidies from the Japanese government to establish a regional data center
- The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry selected SoftBank and IDC Frontier to receive subsidies to build data centers in regional areas. Currently, about 80 percent of Japan's facilities are concentrated in Tokyo and Osaka.
Core Brain will provide infrastructure for SoftBank's internal AI research and development.
It will also provide services to external organizations, including universities and companies that require high-performance computing.
SoftBank subsidiary SB Power and Hokkaido Electric Power will provide power. This allows for a renewable energy-based model.
What they say:
"As the adoption of AI increases data processing and electricity demand, the company intends to deploy data centers and procure renewable energy accordingly,"
SoftBank said.
What comes next:
Core Brain is a step toward a decentralized, sustainable digital infrastructure.
With IDC Frontier's expertise, SoftBank can support emerging technologies such as AI and 5G through facilities in northern Japan.
The plan positions SoftBank competitively in Japan's data center market amid increasing global technology competition.
Tomakomai provides a strategic base that complements SoftBank's main centers in Tokyo and Osaka.
The regenerative approach demonstrates more environmentally friendly, distributed models suitable for the data-intensive future.
