The groundbreaking ceremony for the large-scale AI data center planned in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, was held at the site on 15 April 2025. The facility is expected to eventually expand to become one of the largest in Japan.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the Hokkaido Tomakomai AI Data Center, which SoftBank and IDC Frontier are developing, to pray for its safety and success. The project aims to eventually create one of Japan’s largest data centers and is positioned as a core facility of Brain DataCenter.
The center is expected to operate as a locally produced and locally consumed facility powered entirely by renewable energy generated in Hokkaido, in response to growing data-processing needs and rapidly rising electricity demand. Its site area is expected to eventually reach approximately 700,000 square meters, while its contracted power capacity is expected to exceed 300 MW. The center is scheduled to open in fiscal 2026.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by a deputy director-general of the Minister’s Secretariat at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, among others, as well as the Governor of Hokkaido and the Mayor of Tomakomai. Following the ceremony, the renewal of a comprehensive partnership agreement was announced, with cooperation expected to advance efforts to revitalize industries in Hokkaido and strengthen regional collaboration.
SoftBank CEO Miyagawa Junichi (宮川 潤一) said that large-scale data centers are needed in Japan, adding that the project was restarted under the governor’s leadership and had reached the groundbreaking ceremony. He also expressed his intention to continue developing and delivering AI centered on data centers.