SoftBank Preps Forays Into AI Data Center Batteries and Chips

SoftBank Group Corp.’s mobile unit plans to expand into selling AI computing power and the manufacture of large-scale battery cells to address growing demand for AI-related hardware.

SoftBank Corp. will provide neocloud services and specialized infrastructure geared for AI training in Japan, Chief Executive Officer Junichi Miyakawa said Monday. The company will also partner with South Korea’s Cosmos Lab and DeltaX Co. to mass-produce batteries at its Sakai, Osaka plant from the fiscal year starting next April, he said.

Japan’s third-largest wireless unit is one of the biggest cash generators inside Masayoshi Son’s investment group, which has accumulated ...