Digital Realty paves way for private AI with 2nd site in Chiba campus

Texas-based Digital Realty has launched in Japan the NRT12, its second data centre at the NRT campus in Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture. 

NRT12 adds 34 megawatts (MW) of critical IT capacity to the campus, bringing the total to 73 MW to meet the growing demand for scalable, flexible, and artificial intelligence-ready data centres in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The American firm noted that the dual trends of accelerating digital transformation and the use of AI are driving exponential data volume growth in Japan. As a result, companies are rethinking their IT architectures, taking a data-centric, hybrid IT approach to support complex data flows. 

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This is, in turn, driving demand for flexible and scalable modern data centres, equipped to support the high-power computing requirements of new technologies such as AI/generative AI, close to major city hubs like Tokyo where many company headquarters and their users are located.

To address those needs, Digital Realty is expanding capacity in the strategically located NRT campus through MC Digital Realty (MCDR), its 50/50 joint venture in Japan with Mitsubishi.  

NRT12 features the same infrastructure as other data centres recently developed by MCDR in Japan – such as the nearby NRT10 in Inzai and KIX13 in Osaka – and is specifically designed to support demanding workloads such as AI/generative AI, machine learning, and virtual reality.

Also, the NRT campus offers Campus Connect, an interconnection service that allows customers to use infrastructure across multiple data centres on the campus as a single unit, facilitating efficient data exchange for AI and digital transformation initiatives. 

The data centres’ modular design also allows for dynamic scaling of server environments to accommodate growing AI deployments.

NRT12 is part of PlatformDIGITAL, Digital Realty’s open, neutral global data centre platform that provides the meeting place for customers to connect, fostering collaboration and accelerating digital transformation.

NRT12 is also a ServiceFabric site, enabling customers to centrally manage complex workflows and orchestrate their hybrid IT infrastructure and AI workloads from a single point.

“This new data centre, designed to world-class specifications, expands our capacity and strengthens our commitment to supporting the growing demand for AI-powered and scalable digital infrastructure in the Tokyo metropolitan area,” said Serene Nah, managing director and head of Asia Pacific at Digital Realty.

Chris Han, COO of MCDR, said that with its robust features and strategic location, NRT12 provides an ideal platform for businesses to accelerate their digital transformation journeys and unlock the full potential of cutting-edge technologies like AI and hybrid IT.