Anthropic is setting up its first overseas computing fortress in Kansai, Japan. According to a report by Nikkei Asia today, the negotiations between Anthropic and NTT DATA regarding the company's first data center in Japan are now in the final stages. Both parties expect to sign the final agreement within this fiscal year, and the facility is expected to be partially operational as early as 2028 - a move that effectively secures a long-term strategic base on the western side of the Pacific for an AI lab that has always kept computing power under its own control.

The location is Osaka, with a planned scale reaching 500MW. What does that mean? Just the construction and infrastructure costs have already exceeded 1 trillion yen, equivalent to about 42.3 billion yuan at current exchange rates. Additional high-value AI chips will be added later, and the real big spending is still ahead. For Anthropic, this is not just renting a few rows of server racks, but rather embedding an entire computing lifeline - from power supply to training and inference - directly into the Japanese market.

The most intriguing aspect is its power supply strategy. The report mentions that the data center will initially adopt a "behind-the-meter" power supply approach - generating power on-site using fuel cells and other methods, rather than relying on external grid infrastructure from the start. This approach gives surrounding power infrastructure time to catch up, allowing computing power to run first and gradually reducing reliance on the external grid. In an era when AI data centers around the world are struggling to secure electricity, Anthropic's decision to "light a small stove first" demonstrates a pragmatic patience.