Global interconnection company Equinix, Inc. recently leveraged the help of government agency O-BIC to open its first data center in Osaka, Japan. O-BIC provides support for foreign organizations seeking to establish bases in the area. Local access provider K-Opticom and Kanden Energy Solutions also assisted in the creation and opening of Equinix’s newest facility, dubbed OS1.
The carrier-neutral data center expands Equinix’s growing service footprint in Japan’s second largest market. Osaka boasts an annual GDP of $916 billion within its flourishing economy. Additionally, the site’s central location puts it in Kansai, a densely populated area near the airport, providing resources for both local and international clients and operators. Equinix stated that this region is a prime location to support the company’s Tokyo enterprise.
Keihanshin Building Co. president Kenjiro Nakano said the company is please to see Equinix’s data center open in this region of Japan.
“It will not only accelerate the internationalization of Osaka, but it will also enable the global expansion of Kansai-based corporations,” Nakano said. “We look forward to seeing the opportunities that access to OS1 will bring to local businesses in the region.”
Prime Data Center Location
Initially, the data center layout of the facility will include 320 server cabinets to support customer needs, however the company plans to expand these systems to more than 800 dedicated cabinets in 2014.
Equinix Japan managing director Kei Furuta said the facility allows clients to leverage a wide range of Osaka’s networks and connectivity options.
“With the two key hubs in Japan, cloud, content and network providers, as well as financial services firms, can access the broadest choice of networks in the region, enabling them to rapidly and cost effectively expand their business, while better serving their international customers,” Furuta stated.
OS1 Building Features
The design of the facility also includes special precautions to mitigate the risk of systems being affected by Japan’s earthquakes and inclement weather. All power arrangements feature built-in redundancy components and links to backup generators to keep technology running in the event of a local power outage. The structure was also designed to withstand environmental disasters, including an advanced seismic resistant system that will help the building resist earthquake-related movements and vibrations.
OS1 is also linked to more than 950 service carriers both in the area and abroad via a data center fiber optic cable to Dojima, the local network core. Additionally, customers can take advantage of the facility’s dedicated data center design, which provides each organization with its own data colocation resources and on-site support.
Additionally, OS1 customers also have access to the company’s Marketplace through Platform Equinix. This resource enables clients to connect with one another for partnerships and other business purposes. The system also allows participants to connect their IT infrastructures directly to partner’s systems for boosted services. Currently, more than 4,000 companies utilize the platform for furthering organizational relationships and fostering company advancement.
Equinix also recently opened an International Business Exchange facility in Otemachi, Tokyo, in August 2013. Currently, the company operates three facilities in Japan and its newest OS1 in Osaka.
