SoftBank plans to transform a former Sharp LCD panel plant in Japan into a data centre for operating artificial intelligence agents developed in collaboration with U.S.-based ChatGPT creator, OpenAI, according to a Nikkei report on Friday. The Japanese telecom giant intends to purchase the facility and part of the land at Sharp’s closed TV LCD factory in Osaka for about 100 billion yen ($677.05 million). The centre is expected to start operations in 2026 and will be one of the largest in Japan,