SoftBank prepares to manufacture batteries for AI data centers

SoftBank Group's mobile unit plans to transform part of its factory in Osaka Prefecture into one of Japan's biggest production lines for large-scale batteries in an ambitious attempt at powering its own artificial intelligence data centers. SoftBank Corp. aims to bring that production online within the next five years, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be named as deliberations remain private. After SoftBank executives mulled different purposes for the plant in the city of Sakai, including robotics manufacturing, they decided to pursue energy. The Tokyo-based group led by Masayoshi Son is one of the world's foremost supporters of AI, having committed hundreds of billions of dollars to investment in data centers, cloud services and bets on startups like OpenAI.