Japan eyes $140bn AI data centre push with Dell and JERA, FT reports

JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, signed a non-binding deal with Dell and UK developer RHAELM to build AI data centres powered directly by its Chiba gas-fired plant. The first site will cost over $15 bn, start operations in 2028, and supply 400 MW. JERA plans to replicate the model at other sites, potentially adding several gigawatts of AI capacity by the 2030s, with the total project estimated at $140 bn.