From geisha face paint to servers, Sakai Chemical emerges as AI linchpin

An Osaka-based manufacturer of fine powders for face makeup used by geisha is now providing raw materials for capacitors necessary in artificial intelligence data centers. | BLOOMBERG

Sep 28, 2026

Sakai Chemical Industry’s century-old expertise in producing fine powders for face makeup used by geisha is finding a lucrative new use — powering the artificial intelligence boom.

Production capacity is quickly filling up at the Osaka-based company, which provides raw materials for capacitors necessary in AI data centers. Until recently, such production was a side business for Sakai Chemical, which has spent decades perfecting the production of ultra-fine and uniform particles — whether for safe, lead-free base material for traditional Japanese face powders, or for chemical compounds that store big electrical charges inside tiny components in servers.

The last year has transformed Sakai Chemical into a little-known tech supply chain linchpin. The company’s now calculating how much more production capability it needs to add, according to its President Toshiyuki Yagura.

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