SoftBank explains AI plans to shareholders

Japan’s Telecom giant SoftBank CEO Miyakawa said on Thursday that SoftBank and Microsoft are jointly working on an AI system to automate call centers. He said the firm is also investing heavily in data centers, which provide the vast computational power needed to develop and operate generative AI.

SoftBank plans to build one such data center in an LCD panel factory in Osaka Prefecture. The company has an agreement to buy the plant from a subsidiary of Sharp. Miyakawa said it usually takes 5 to 6 years to build a data center, but the Osaka plant will expedite the process.