Transforming Ishikari into Japan’s Prime Data Center Hub: NTT and Allies Lead the Charge
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NTT East Corporation has entered into a partnership with a collection of data center, telecommunications, energy, and infrastructure businesses, with the aim of transforming Ishikari City in Hokkaido into a major data center hub.
Building a Data Center Cluster
The newly formed Ishikari Data Center Consortium will concentrate its efforts on enhancing the necessary infrastructure to facilitate data center development. This includes the improvement of power and telecommunications networks. In addition, working in collaboration with local government, the consortium will put in place incentives and other schemes to encourage further growth.
The consortium comprises several industry-leading companies, such as Sakura Internet, Kyocera, Tokyu Land Corporation, Ishikari Renewable Energy Data Center No. 1 LLC, Flower Communications, Broadband Tower Inc., NTT ME Corporation, Ishikari Regional Energy LLC, Liene Inc., and Hokkaido Integrated Communications Network Co., Ltd.
Ishikari, situated in Hokkaido’s Ishikari Subprefecture, is rapidly becoming a favored location for data centers. Thanks to the Ishikari Bay New Port area, the city has access to renewable energy sources and is relatively safe from natural disasters. The consortium’s goal is to boost Ishikari’s profile as a key domestic data center site and one of Japan’s premier data center clusters.
NTT East has announced that the consortium will strive to ensure that local residents and businesses reap the societal benefits of data center development, while simultaneously boosting Ishikari’s national reputation as a data center cluster.
Previous Data Center Developments
Since 2011, Sakura Internet has been operating its data center in Ishikari. The company has since expanded the facility and has been deploying GPUs there. Meanwhile, Tokyu Land, Flower Communications, and Broadband Tower joined forces on a 15-MW data center project in Ishikari in 2024, which is set to launch in 2026.
These ventures have added to Hokkaido’s data center landscape. Data Center Map currently lists nine data centers on the island, primarily positioned around Sapporo. Several major operators have data centers in Hokkaido, including SoftBank, Kyocera, HotNet, Sakura Internet, KDDI, and Rakuten.
NTT East provides services from roughly 30 data center locations in Japan. These include facilities in Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma.
Questions & Answers
What is the aim of the Ishikari Data Center Consortium?
The consortium’s goal is to enhance the necessary infrastructure for data center development in Ishikari City, working with local government to put in place incentives that encourage growth in order to establish the city as a major data center hub in Japan.
Who are the members of the Ishikari Data Center Consortium?
The consortium is composed of several companies, including NTT East Corporation, Sakura Internet, Kyocera, Tokyu Land Corporation, Ishikari Renewable Energy Data Center No. 1 LLC, Flower Communications, Broadband Tower Inc., NTT ME Corporation, Ishikari Regional Energy LLC, Liene Inc., and Hokkaido Integrated Communications Network Co., Ltd.
What makes Ishikari City an attractive location for data centers?
Ishikari City has access to renewable energy sources and is relatively safe from natural disasters. Furthermore, with the support from the consortium, the city is developing the necessary infrastructure to facilitate data center operations.