By Yuka Obayashi
TOKYO, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Japan’s biggest power generator JERA will partner with Dell Technologies and UK-based AI infrastructure developer RHAELM to accelerate the development of AI infrastructure in Japan, the three companies said on Thursday.
They signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a standardised model for building AI infrastructure on a national scale, starting with a $15 billion hyperscale data centre in Chiba, near Tokyo.
The model will first be applied to a 400-megawatt-class hyperscale AI data centre project in Chiba, where Apollo Global Management plans to serve as a strategic investment and financial partner for RHAELM.
The companies aim to reduce the lengthy lead times and complexity of developing AI data centres by using a repeatable model that can be deployed across Japan and potentially in other markets.
“By bringing our capabilities spanning the full liquefied natural gas value chain, from fuel procurement and shipping… through to downstream power generation, together with Dell and RHAELM, we can help AI infrastructure come online faster with access to the large-scale, reliable energy it needs in a complex and fuel-constrained market like Japan,” JERA Global CEO Yukio Kani said.
JERA will provide land adjacent to its Chiba thermal power station, while RHAELM will develop, construct, operate and finance the data centre, which the companies described as Japan’s largest single-site AI infrastructure deployment.
The facility is expected to begin operating in phases in 2028 and reach full capacity in 2029.
JERA, jointly owned by Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power , will supply 400 MW of power capacity for 15-25 years, while Dell will provide standardised, rack-scale AI infrastructure.
The companies aim to develop several gigawatts of AI data centre capacity nationwide in the 2030s, using JERA’s other power stations.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Chizu Nomiyama )
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