JERA, Dell Technologies and RHAELM Sign MoU to Accelerate National-Scale AI Infrastructure Development in Japan2026/10/01
JERA Co., Inc. (JERA), Japan’s largest power generator, Dell Technologies (Dell), a global technology leader, and RHAELM Holdings Ltd., a sovereign AI infrastructure developer, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a standardized framework for building AI infrastructure at national scale in Japan. This model is planned for the first project in Chiba for which Apollo Global Management Inc. (Apollo) intends to serve as a strategic investment and financing partner for RHAELM.
Bringing together highly reliable power generation with AI computing technology and infrastructure development expertise, the collaboration aims to address one of the key constraints on the rapid deployment of AI computing capacity across Japan: the need to design and integrate power generation, electrical infrastructure, cooling and AI compute on a project-by-project basis. The companies will work to create a standardized, repeatable and scalable model from the outset, reducing the lengthy lead time and complexity involved in developing each project independently. The parties intend to establish the model first in Japan and, over time, explore opportunities to apply it in other markets.
Japan’s ability to scale AI infrastructure at speed will depend on reliable gas-fired generation and a resilient LNG value chain. The collaboration brings together JERA’s integrated capabilities across LNG procurement, shipping, import and regasification, and power generation, Dell Technologies’ standardized, rack-scale AI infrastructure, and RHAELM’s data center development and delivery capabilities. Together, the parties aim to establish integrated model connecting LNG supply with AI computing for deployment in Japan and globally.
The collaboration builds on the Chiba Project, an AI infrastructure development project being jointly developed by RHAELM and JERA at JERA’s Chiba Thermal Power Station. The project will provide a real-world basis for informing and refining the standardized model envisioned under the MoU. Supported by power capacity of up to 400 MW, the Chiba Project will generate practical experience that can help shape a scalable model for broader deployment. At this scale, it would be the largest single-site AI infrastructure deployment in Japan and one of the largest in Asia today.
Total capital deployment of the Chiba Project is expected to exceed US $15 billion (2.3 trillion yen) across all phases of development spanning land, power infrastructure, facility construction and AI compute. The Project will be behind-the-meter from JERA's operating generation asset enabling capacity to be delivered years ahead of a conventional grid-connected development schedule. Operations are targeted to begin around 2028. JERA and RHAELM also intend to explore deployment of the model at other JERA sites, with the ambition of supporting multi-gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure capacity across Japan in the 2030s.
As the energy partner, JERA provides the large-scale, 24/7 power that AI infrastructure requires. Locating AI infrastructure on land adjacent to JERA’s power stations can shorten the path to power, enabling computing capacity to come online more quickly and expand as demand grows.
The Dell AI Factory standardizes the compute layer through pre-integrated, rack-scale infrastructure designed for rapid deployment.
RHAELM leads project delivery under the partnership, drawing on its experience in developing large-scale AI compute infrastructure, integrating JERA’s power and site capabilities with the Dell AI Factory to create a scalable model for rapid deployment across Japan.
The initiative supports Japan’s national drive to expand domestic AI computing capacity and develop the power and digital infrastructure needed to underpin its AI economy. It is closely aligned with the Government of Japan’s push for “Watt-Bit Collaboration” – the coordinated development of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure – and its broader GX Strategic Area policy to encourage data center clusters and new technology-led industrial hubs.
Yukio Kani, Global CEO and Chair, JERA
JERA is uniquely positioned to power Japan’s AI ambitions. We already generate one third of Japan’s electricity and supply nearly all of the power consumed in the Tokyo metropolitan area, with capabilities spanning the full LNG value chain, from fuel procurement, shipping, receiving terminals and gas infrastructure through to downstream power generation and reliable operations, complemented by a growing renewable energy portfolio.
By bringing those capabilities together with Dell Technologies and RHAELM, we can help AI infrastructure come online faster with access to the large-scale, reliable energy it needs in a complex and fuel-constrained market like Japan, and create a model that can be deployed at scale across Japan and over time, potentially in other markets.
Arthur Lewis, President, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies
Deploying AI infrastructure at national scale requires a foundation built for control, flexibility and growth from day one. Dell Technologies provides a standardized platform that lets organizations run AI on their terms, with security and data sovereignty built in. This collaboration with JERA and RHAELM is designed to deliver that foundation, creating the compute capacity Japan needs to develop and scale its own AI innovation.
Bradd Lewis, CEO & Chief Revenue Officer, RHAELM
RHAELM was built to solve exactly this kind of challenge taking stranded power capacity and turning it into sovereign AI infrastructure. By co-locating at JERA's Chiba station and deploying the Dell AI Factory as our compute standard, we can deliver a 400MW facility years ahead of a conventional grid-connected timeline. JERA's behind-the-meter power and site access are the foundation, and our role is to bring the execution capability and capital to build on it with the end goal of replicating that model across Japan at the scale the country's AI ambitions demand.
Eiji Ueda, Partner and Head of Asia Pacific, Apollo
This announcement includes two of our highest conviction themes at Apollo -- financing the global industrial renaissance including AI and digital infrastructure, as well as serving as a long-term capital partner to the Japanese market. Through these projects, we are pleased to have the opportunity to bring our expertise and capital to help build fundamental infrastructure for the future.
About JERA
JERA is a global energy leader and Japan’s largest power generation company focused on providing cutting-edge solutions to the world's energy issues. Established in 2015, the company produces one-third of Japan’s electricity and is one of the largest LNG buyers in the world. JERA has global reach and strength throughout the energy supply chain, including participation in upstream gas exploration and production, LNG projects, fuel procurement and transportation, and power generation globally.
In support of a responsible energy transition, JERA aims to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses by 2050.
About RHAELM
RHAELM is a sovereign AI cloud company accelerating secure AI deployment at scale. Combining power and infrastructure pipelines with global capability and local execution, RHAELM delivers the compute, networking and storage infrastructure that sovereign AI workloads demand. Headquartered in London, with deployments across Europe and Asia Pacific, RHAELM bridges the gap between power availability and AI ambition by providing the infrastructure to scale workloads and the operational control to secure them.
