EnergyNext-generation power cells are part of Japanese group's bet on AI infrastructureSoftBank and South Korean-startup Cosmos Lab plan to make the batteries on the former site of Sharp's LCD plant near Osaka. (Source photos by Nikkei)NATSUKI YAMAMOTOMay 3, 2026 23:37 JSTTOKYO -- Japan's SoftBank Group will seek to make batteries that do not require expensive lithium and cobalt in Japan, envisioning their use to power growing numbers of data centers, Nikkei has learned.