Global interconnection and data center company Equinix, Inc. opens TY11; its eleventh International Business Exchange data center in Tokyo, Japan this month.

Valued at USD 70 million, the first phase of TY11 provides a capacity of 950 cabinets and colocation space of approximately 39,800 square feet (3,700 square meters). Upon completion of the planned future phases, the facility is expected to provide a total capacity of more than 3,500 cabinets and colocation space of more than 153,800 square feet (approximately 14,300 square meters), becoming the largest IBX data center to date in Japan.

According to a report by Synergy Research Group due in large part to a flourishing technology culture and fast cloud adoption, Tokyo is now the world’s largest retail colocation market by revenue, ahead of major international cities like New York and London.

As more global and local cloud service providers (CSPs) expand their footprint in Japan, the country is forecast to be one of the largest geographic public cloud markets in 2019 with cloud spend reaching USD 7.4 billion.

According to Equinix North Asia Managing Director Kei Furuta Japan is also embracing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and robust network connectivity to power the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the government’s ‘Society 5.0’ initiative, and the upcoming rollout of 5G services which are expected to generate huge amounts of data.

“With cloud services becoming increasingly crucial to global and local businesses who are eager to reach business partners and customers worldwide, an always-on, distributed IT infrastructure is extremely important to ensure real-time data delivery in today’s fast-paced economy. With the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the ‘Society 5.0’ initiative and the arrival of 5G, interconnection will also play a crucial role in enabling seamless and secure interactions. We are thrilled about the opening of TY11, and we look forward to accelerating cloud adoption and innovation in Japan,” says Furuta.

With the addition of TY11, Equinix says it now operates a total of 11 data centers in Tokyo and two in Osaka. The expanded footprint in this vibrant market will play a key role in accelerating the country’s cloud adoption and transformation in today’s digital era. In close proximity to the Tokyo central business district, the TY11 IBX data center will enable CSPs to move their services closer to their customers at the digital edge via Platform Equinix® and provide the highest quality of interconnection and data center services to ensure seamless, consistent and secure data transfer.

According to Equinix Chief Customer and Revenue Officer Karl Strohmeyer, Equinix’s latest offering delivers customers the latest features available in interconnection services in the region.

“Asia-Pacific has always been a highly strategic and thriving market for us, thanks in part to its burgeoning digital market, which is driving demand for interconnection and data center services. We are excited to continue our investments and expansions in the region, and we are delighted to provide our customers in Japan with cutting-edge interconnection services and peace of mind over the resiliency of their IT infrastructure,” says Strohmeyer.

According to Strohmeyer, TY11 is situated in Ariake, a district in Koto ward, which is close to key venues for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Located in an emergency evacuation area, TY11 is earthquake-resistant and equipped with multiple anti-disaster measures. It provides a high level of security and operational excellence in the event of natural disasters, enhancing business continuity and stability for customers.

Equinix claims it has a long-term goal of using 100 percent clean and renewable energy for its global platform and continues to make advancements in the way it designs, builds and operates its data centers with high energy efficiency standards. Equinix says TY11 customers will realize significant energy savings and reductions of their CO 2 footprint through the use of energy-efficient lighting systems, adaptive control systems that reduces power consumption and increases cooling capacity through active airflow management, as well as cold aisle containment that reduces energy consumption and enhances cooling.

Equinix says TY11 offers a wide range of connectivity options, including Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric™ (ECX Fabric™), which allows businesses to set up on-demand and secure connections to more than 1,500 participants across all regions around the world.

TY11 benefits from direct connection to TY2, which is home to a dense network ecosystem, offering customers private and secure access to more than 80 network service providers within Platform Equinix. Directly connected to TY4, TY11 provides customers with direct and secure access to more than 285 cloud and IT service providers in Japan including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Teradata.

Customers in TY11 can benefit from connectivity to Japan’s largest financial ecosystem with more than 85 financial services providers, and access to the heart of Tokyo’s trading landscape, including key financial exchanges TFX and TOCOM.

Equinix data centers form a network hub in Tokyo, which is designed to meet rising internet exchange demands from international and domestic network operators. The hub houses the leading regional internet exchanges including Japan Network Access Point (JPNAP), Japan Internet Exchange (JPIX) and Broadband Internet Exchange (BBIX).

(Featured image of TY11 courtesy of Equinix Inc.)