tech
SoftBank to manufacture large-scale batteries for AI data centres
Target output is one gigawatt-hour a year. Partners are South Korea’s Cosmos Lab and DeltaX. Production opens for the fiscal year starting next April, with zinc-halide chemistry following in 2027.
TL;DR
- SoftBank will convert a former Sharp factory in Sakai, Osaka, into a battery cell manufacturing site.
- The plant aims for an annual output of approximately one gigawatt-hour.
- Mass production is scheduled to begin in the fiscal year starting April 2026.
- Partnerships include South Korea's Cosmos Lab (zinc-halide cell chemistry) and DeltaX (systems integration).
- The facility will supply AI data centers, grid, industrial, and residential customers.
- The battery production utilizes lithium-iron-phosphate and zinc-halide chemistries, avoiding rare-earth and cobalt supply chains.
- Zinc-halide offers non-flammable properties and uses widely available materials.
- The move vertically integrates SoftBank as both a data center operator and battery customer.
- This strategy hedges against long lead times for storage projects elsewhere and potential margin on exported cells.
- The joint venture positions SoftBank within the South Korean battery-tech ecosystem.