UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala commits $6.3 billion for AI data center investment in Japan

Mubadala Investment Company, the UAE's sovereign wealth fund, is considering an investment of up to ¥1 trillion ($6.3 billion) in an AI-focused data center project in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. The 500-megawatt facility would be expected to become Japan's largest data center upon completion, with total project costs potentially reaching ¥2 trillion ($12.6 billion) when including additional domestic and international investors that Mubadala may bring into the deal.

This investment reflects Japan's broader acceleration of spending in AI and digital infrastructure to support surging demand for computing capacity. Earlier this year, NTT Data announced plans to invest at least ¥1.5 trillion ($9.6 billion) through 2033 to expand its domestic data center footprint by approximately 750 megawatts, bringing total capacity to 1 gigawatt.

For Mubadala, the Akita project marks its first direct investment in a Japanese data center. The Abu Dhabi fund has built a substantial global digital infrastructure portfolio through stakes in operators including Cologix, Princeton Digital Group, GlobalConnect, Aligned Data Centers, and Yondr Group.