AirTrunk unveils second Tokyo data centre with sustainable edge

Hyperscale data centre specialist AirTrunk has announced the official opening of its second data centre, known as TOK2, in Tokyo. Designed to serve large technology companies in the region, TOK2, which is scalable to over 110 megawatts (MW), will be amongst the country’s largest.

Spread across approximately 4.6 hectares of land in west Tokyo, the TOK2 centre is strategically positioned to provide services to a significant cloud availability zone in the Tokyo Prefecture. Acting in harmony with AirTrunk’s east Tokyo data centre, TOK1, the two facilities will offer customers a diverse choice of locations along with the unparalleled ability to scale within the Tokyo area. The opening phases are anticipated to supply over 60MW of capacity for AirTrunk’s key hyperscale customers.

The launch of the new facility comes following the initiation of construction less than three months ago on OSK1, the data centre giant’s first venture in the Osaka region. Combined, the three sites across Japan will afford AirTrunk the capacity to serve some of the largest global and Japanese technology firms, with over 430MW of IT load.

AirTrunk Founder & Chief Executive Officer Robin Khuda commented on the accomplishment, “Today marks another major milestone for AirTrunk in Japan with the opening of our second data centre in Tokyo. Globally, artificial intelligence is forecasted to grow at an annual rate of more than 37% from 2023 to 2032, and we're delivering scalable cloud and AI infrastructure in record time to accelerate this growth. The opening of AirTrunks TOK2 data centre provides our customers with a connected, secure, scalable, and sustainable home for data in west Tokyo.”

Committed to sustainability and energy efficiency, TOK2 has been constructed with an industry-low power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15. The centre will use direct air-free cooling and has been financed through AirTrunk's Green Loan programme, a first for a data centre in Japan that considers operating PUE and water productivity eligibility criteria. Additionally, AirTrunk has pledged support for STEM education in Japan and is set to fund scholarships and educational initiatives with the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Reflecting on the positive impact on the local economy, AirTrunk’s Head of Japan, Nori Matsushita, said, “The AirTrunk TOK2 data centre will bring many benefits to the local economy, including employment opportunities, innovation and social impact programmes. As the cloud in Japan expands, so does our team of AirTrunkers and we are proud to be recognised as a certified Great Place To Work in Japan, along with our other hubs in Australia and Singapore.”

Since its establishment in 2015, AirTrunk has pioneered hyperscale data centres in the APJ region with a growing portfolio of 11 centres across seven cities and five markets. Boasting a total capacity of over 1.4 gigawatts (GW) across its suite of offerings, it is the largest data centre provider in the area, excluding China.

The opening of TOK2 was marked with a traditional ceremony, including Kagami-biraki, a traditional sake barrel-breaking ritual to celebrate new beginnings. Justin Hayhurst, Australian Ambassador to Japan, the local mayor, and key partners attended the ceremony.