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Irish government restricts data center development

Ireland’s The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has decided to limit the impact by imposing a de facto moratorium on new data center development in the Dublin metropolitan area.

Ireland’s national transmission operator EirGrid said in response that it would only consider new applications for grid connection on a case-by-case basis. The restrictions could reportedly last until 2028.

Martin Shanahan, CEO of Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA), recently said that new data centers “are unlikely to occur in Dublin and the East Coast at this time.”

Google has asked such Irish regulators not to impose a moratorium on data center development in the country.

In The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) filing, the company said search and cloud companies must “absolutely” avoid a moratorium on data center development.

Google said such a ban would send a “wrong signal” about Ireland’s digital economy ambitions, and would affect the country’s infrastructure, according to a Freedom of Information request first reported by The Irish Times. It adds that it makes further investment “impossible”.

In the filing, Google called for more transparency about where the Irish network has existing power capacity, as well as being clearer and more open about EirGrid’s projections of data center power usage growth. I think you need to.

Growing Demand for Cloud Computing, Google’s Proposal

Google, which launched its first data center in Ireland in 2012, has proposed a new pricing structure for data center operators who reserve more capacity than they ultimately need or grow to that capacity too slowly. bottom.

“Transmission tariffs can be designed so that consumers who are not seeing increased demand towards maximum reserved capacity will be charged more than consumers who are demonstrating an increase each year.” says.

EirGrid and politicians have previously suggested moving data center development to the west of Ireland (away from Dublin’s constrained areas and closer to renewable energy sources), but Google says this is not a viable solution. I point out that it is not.

“The demand for cloud computing in Dublin is growing. We are unable to provide services.”

Another AWS filing says Ireland has missed opportunities in the past to address supply issues.

“Over the past decade, we have had opportunities to do reinforcement work, prepare the grid for growth and investment, and prepare the grid for more intermittent integration of resources,” he said.

Both the Social Democrats and the People Before Profit parties have been calling for a nationwide moratorium on future data center projects for the past 12 months. The PBP bill was an absolute ban on data centers, liquid natural gas plants and new fossil fuel infrastructure.

In Dublin last month, South Dublin County Council (SDCC) voted to block future data center construction in the county as part of a new development plan.

What is the background behind the Irish government’s moratorium on data center development?

Irish Government Behind Data Center Development Moratorium

The Irish government’s achievement of emissions and renewable energy targets is behind this.

According to EirGrid, data center energy usage is projected to increase by 9TWh by 2030, ranging from 23% to 31% of Ireland’s grid supply in 2030. This comes at a time when the government wants to reduce emissions by 60-80% by increasing the share of renewable energy. At the same time, governments want to decarbonise by moving heating and transportation to electricity, further increasing demand on the grid.

According to The Irish Times, EirGrid has agreed to connect an additional 1.8GW of data centers to the grid, with current peak demand of around 5GW, and a further 2GW of applications ready. That’s it.

The Government Statement on the Role of Data Centers in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy 2018, published in 2018, emphasized the positive role of data centers in the country’s economic performance. However, it will now be “aligned with sectoral emissions caps and renewable energy targets, concerns about continued security of supply, and demand flexibility measures currently needed. In order to secure it, it will be reviewed. “In addition, further tightening of regulations will be considered,” it is reported.

Will it work or will it backfire?

The Irish government imposes a moratorium on data center development, which is in high demand worldwide. It seems that the moratorium continues while receiving a warning from Google. Will this decision work or will it backfire? We will keep an eye on trends.

NTT DATA Co., Ltd. is working to remote/automate equipment inspection work using robots at the data center “NTT Shinagawa TWINS DATA Building” (hereinafter referred to as “Shinagawa Data Center”) operated by the company. announced that it has confirmed that it is possible to reduce the equipment inspection work that was previously done by about 50%.

From April 2023, NTT DATA will proceed with the introduction of robots to data centers nationwide.

Background of robot introduction

NTT DATA explained that the building management industry, including data centers, is facing a serious manpower shortage, and that facility management work, in particular, is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and that there is a need for labor savings and more efficient work implementation.

Among facility management operations, the company believes that inspection work is highly effective in reducing manpower and that remote/automated operations are feasible through the use of digital technology, and has been conducting verification for practical application at its Shinagawa Data Center.

Overview of Robot Introduction and Changing Checking Tasks

In this initiative, a robot automatically patrols a predetermined inspection route, taking pictures of meters, lamps, and facility exterior, and acquiring environmental data such as odors using sensors, thereby replacing the work of measuring meters, checking lamps, and checking for abnormalities in appearance and unusual odors that had previously been performed by humans.

In this method, a single camera or sensor can be used to inspect multiple locations, and there is no need to modify the current equipment in operation, making it cheaper and simpler to achieve remote/automated operation than other methods such as installing IoT cameras and sensors for each inspection target or converting to smart meters.

The robot used in this project is a next-generation avatar robot “ugo Pro” modified for facility inspection work in collaboration with ugo Corporation, a manufacturer of business DX robots.

In order to capture detailed meter readings, the robot is equipped with a 4K camera with higher image quality than the standard model, and multiple devices such as an odor sensor, microphone, and thermo camera can be mounted on the ugo itself to expand its applications depending on the inspection items.

The robot can be operated using only a PC, and its travel route can be set with no code, making it easy for on-site personnel to use the robot. The robot can switch between automatic traveling and remote control, and can be used not only for automatic inspection work, but also for multiple applications, such as work support from a distance.

These features not only allow the robot to handle a variety of inspection items, but also to expand its applications to include remote work support and construction attendance.

By using robots and sensors to remotely/automatically perform inspection work, not only can work hours be reduced, but also the threshold values for determining abnormalities, which used to rely on human senses, can be quantified to enable detection of abnormalities without relying on skilled workers.

In addition, by making it possible to remotely perform tasks that could only be performed onsite, including work support and construction attendance, it is expected to support flexible work styles and secure new workers.

About the future

In the future, NTT DATA aims to expand the scope of automation to include recording and reporting work that currently requires personnel to perform, and to reduce the time required for inspection work by up to 80% by promoting linkage with meter reading systems and abnormality detection AI.

NTT Data will also work to enhance facility management operations, such as advanced abnormality detection and predictive maintenance of facilities, utilizing data acquired by robots and sensors.

Starting in April 2023, the initiative will be rolled out sequentially to 15 data centers nationwide.

Furthermore, based on the knowledge gained from these efforts, the company aims to offer the service commercially as a remote/automated service for facility inspection operations by the end of FY2023.

For commercial provision, ugo will utilize the new robot “ugo mini” developed by making use of the knowledge obtained through joint verification with NTT DATA to develop remote/automation solutions for facility management operations, from consulting for introduction. NTT DATA provide one-stop support from system construction to operation to solve customer problems.

The day of full-scale deployment of robots for facility inspection operations at data centers is eagerly awaited to help resolve the serious labor shortage.

On November 24, 2022, Kyocera Communication Systems Corporation (KCCS) announced that KCCS will begin construction of a zero-emission data center in Ishikari City, Hokkaido, Japan, in December 2022, with the data center scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

In 2019, KCCS announced plans for a zero-emission data center in Ishikari, Hokkaido, which will operate on 100% renewable energy.

Subsequently, due to a change in the originally planned baseload power supply plan, the power supply configuration and data center design were revised, and now the company has announced the start of construction and opening schedule.

The data center to be constructed will be located in the Ishikari Bay New Port area of Ishikari City, Hokkaido, with a site area of approximately 15,000 square meters, total floor space of approximately 5,300 square meters (at the time of opening), and 400 racks (at the time of opening).

Toward Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

In Japan, local production and local consumption of renewable energy is an important theme for achieving carbon neutrality (virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050, as is the decentralization of data centers in the “Digital Rural City State Concept” being promoted by the government. The introduction of “real renewable energy,” which reduces environmental impact to plus or minus zero through the purchase of environmental values such as non-fossil certificates, is progressing.

To this end, expansion of “direct use of renewable energy” is also needed to further increase the amount of renewable energy introduced.

However, it is not easy to achieve “direct use of renewable energy” in large-scale demand facilities such as data centers, as securing stable renewable energy power and economic efficiency is a challenge.

Ishikari City has been selected as a “Decarbonization Leading Region (1st round)” by the Ministry of the Environment in a publicly solicited project to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

In addition, KCCS has formulated the “Redesigning the Region through Local Production of Renewable Energy and Decarbonization,” a measure aimed at zero carbon, and is aiming for a decarbonized industrial cluster by supplying renewable energy to the data center cluster and surrounding facilities in the Ishikari Bay New Port area.

The zero-emission data center will utilize the abundant renewable energy sources in the region, and a new solar power plant owned by KCCS will be built in the vicinity of the data center to directly utilize those renewable energy sources.

In addition, in order to operate the data center while simultaneously ensuring the “reliability,” “environmental friendliness,” and “economic efficiency” of multiple renewable energy sources, KCCS will build its own power supply and demand control mechanism utilizing storage batteries and AI technology.

KCCS aims to demonstrate the possibility of local production for local consumption of renewable energy through the “data center business operated on 100% renewable energy” in Ishikari City, as well as to contribute to regional revitalization through decentralized data storage in Japan and the creation of jobs for data center technicians and energy-related engineers. The project also aims to contribute to regional revitalization by creating jobs for data center technicians and energy-related engineers.

Expectations are high for the opening of a “zero-emission data center” to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

What is Water Positive

Water positive means providing more water than you consume. With freshwater shortages becoming an issue around the world, companies are making various efforts to secure water.

There are two main ways to do it: either reduce consumption or increase supply.

There are ways to reduce water consumption, such as water conservation and recycling, and ways to increase water supply, such as investing in areas and businesses with high water stress, such as water scarcity and water pollution.

AWS Committed to Reducing Water Use in Data Centers

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the new hyperscaler that has committed to making their business water positive.

At the AWS re:Invent event held in Las Vegas, the company announced a policy to achieve water positive by 2030, returning more water to the community than it uses directly in its operations.

AWS CEO Adam Selipsky said:

“Water scarcity is a major problem around the world, and with today’s announcement by Water Positive, we are committed to doing our part to help solve this fast-growing problem.

To ensure universal access to water, we need to develop new ways to conserve and reuse this precious resource. While we are proud of what we have achieved so far, we also believe that more can be done.

We are committed to leading water stewardship in our cloud business and giving back more water than we use in the communities in which we operate. We believe this is the right thing to do for the environment and our customers. ”

The company’s efforts to achieve this goal include: analyzing water usage in real time, using IoT technology to identify and fix leaks, using recycled or rainwater for cooling, and reusing water multiple times. It includes replenishment as well as reimbursement activities, including the availability of on-site water treatment systems, and where possible, funding for waterless cooling and various water replenishment activities at the facility.

In 2021, AWS said it achieved a global Water Use Efficiency (WUE) index of 0.25L water per kWh. In Ireland and Sweden, AWS says it doesn’t use water to cool its data centers 95% of the year.

According to a US Department of Energy report, the average evaporative cooling data center WUE is 1.8L per kWh.

In the UK, AWS is working with The Rivers Trust and Action for the River Kennet to create two wetlands on tributaries of the River Thames.

“England’s rivers are national treasures and we are delighted to partner with AWS and work with our member trusts here to protect the Thames and its tributaries,” said Mark Lloyd, CEO of The Rivers Trust. said.

“AWS’ commitment to be water positive by 2030 drives the actions needed to help restore rivers and water resources impacted by climate change.

We look forward to expanding our relationship with AWS and using this partnership to demonstrate similar avenues for other companies to jointly support water management activities that improve the resilience of rivers. ”

Data centers use a lot of water for cooling, but it’s not clear how much water the industry actually uses.

Researchers estimate that on average in the US, 1 MWh of data center energy consumption requires 7.1 cubic meters of water, but this can vary widely by region and facility.

Efforts of Google, Microsoft and Meta

Google, Meta and Microsoft have committed to being water positive by 2030, but many of their facilities now use millions of gallons of water per day.

Colocation and peering service provider CyrusOne, which owns and operates over 40 carrier-neutral data centers in North America, Europe and South America, claims several of its facilities are water positive. 

Morningstar Sustainalytics, a leading ESG research, ratings, and data provider that has helped investors around the world develop and implement responsible investment strategies, previously released a report showing that Microsoft is leading the market in water conservation efforts.

European data center operators pledged to the European Commission earlier this year to reduce water usage to up to 400ml per kWh of computer power by 2040.

Due to the effects of global warming and population growth, water shortages are becoming a problem around the world. We will continue to keep an eye on the water positive initiatives of major companies.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JA.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JA.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JA.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JA.

In December 2024, the press conference between US President Trump and Masayoshi Son, President of telecommunications giant SoftBank Group, became a hot topic. Now, in 2025, SoftBank Group has announced another new project, which I will introduce here.

The Massive $500 Billion Investment “Stargate Project”

On January 22, 2025, SoftBank Group announced the “Stargate Project,” a joint project with OpenAI to build a large-scale AI infrastructure. The project aims to establish leadership in the AI field in the United States and contribute to the global economy.

In the Stargate Project, a huge investment of $500 billion will be made over the next four years, of which $100 billion will be invested immediately. This investment is expected to not only develop data centers and AI infrastructure, but also create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the United States, revitalize American industry, and even strengthen the national security of the United States and its allies.

In addition to SoftBank Group and OpenAI, Oracle and MGX, an artificial intelligence (AI) investment company based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), are named as initial investors in the project. SoftBank Group will be responsible for financial management, OpenAI will be responsible for operations, and Masayoshi Son will serve as chairman. Key technology partners include Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI, and these companies will work closely together to build and operate the computing system.

The construction of the AI infrastructure has already begun in Texas, and contracts for the construction of campuses are being signed at candidate sites across the United States. The Stargate Project is based on the cooperative relationship that OpenAI and NVIDIA have built since 2016, and the recent partnership between OpenAI and Oracle. It also leverages the existing partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft, aiming to expand the use of Azure while training leading models and providing high-quality products and services.

Investing in the AI and Semiconductor Industries

While Masayoshi Son, President of SoftBank Group, is showing his presence by announcing various AI-related investments such as AI data centers, the outline of AI and semiconductor industry support measures to be included in the comprehensive economic package to be compiled by the government within the month has been revealed in Japan. The government plans to provide more than 10 trillion yen in support by fiscal 2030, of which about 6 trillion yen will be allocated to subsidies for research and development of next-generation semiconductors, and more than 4 trillion yen will be allocated to financial support such as government investment and debt guarantees.

In addition, SoftBank Group and OpenAI established a joint venture company “SB Open AI Japan” on February 3, 2025. The company will develop and sell “Crystal Intelligence,” a generative AI (artificial intelligence) service for businesses, to support business efficiency. SoftBank Group will pay OpenAI approximately 450 billion yen annually for development and operation costs.

Given these circumstances, investments in data centers and the AI/semiconductor industry are expected to progress in Japan as well. Including the trends of SoftBank Group and OpenAI, it will be necessary to examine the results of these investments to see if they will contribute to the future economic growth of Japan and the world.

Sharp’s liquid crystal panel factory in Sakai City, which ceased operations last year (site area = approximately 800,000 square meters), has been attracting attention from the IT industry. Sharp announced that it had reached an agreement with SoftBank and KDDI, which are seeking to use the vast factory site and buildings for an artificial intelligence (AI) data center. A major announcement was made about this matter in December, so I will introduce it here.

Basic Agreement Signed with KDDI for AI Data Center Construction

On December 9th, Sharp and KDDI announced that they had signed a basic agreement to construct an AI data center at the Sakai factory site and start operations at an early date.

KDDI aims to start construction of an AI data center by the end of fiscal 2024 and begin full-scale operations by the end of fiscal 2025 by taking over the land, buildings, and power supply equipment at the Sakai factory site.

Sharp will establish a business structure centered on its brand business through asset light measures such as the sale, and will cooperate with KDDI to promptly construct the data center.

Sharp and KDDI aim to contribute to the revitalization of Japan by building a sustainable society through business together with business partners in various industries and sectors through the construction of AI data centers.

Sale of Part of Factory to SoftBank for 100 billion yen

On December 20th, it was announced that part of the land and facilities at the Sakai factory site would be sold to SoftBank.

The sale price is approximately 100 billion yen. SoftBank plans to construct an AI data center, and the total investment, including the procurement of graphics processing units (GPUs) used for data processing, could reach several hundred billion yen.

The data center is scheduled to start construction in fiscal 2025 and begin operation in 2026. The power capacity, which indicates the scale, is expected to be around 150 megawatts, one of the largest in Japan at the start, and will be increased to 250 megawatts at an early stage. GPUs will be purchased from Nvidia, including the next-generation AI semiconductor “B200”.

SoftBank has set a goal of developing data centers in major cities across the country. Sakai will be positioned as a large-scale base in the Kansai area. In addition to being used for the development and operation of its own large language model (LLM), which serves as the foundation for generative AI, it is also considering leasing to external companies.

Sakai Factory Site Trends to Watch in 2025

Sharp aims to shift to a revenue structure centered on “brand business” such as home appliances instead of the liquid crystal panel business. The funds obtained from the sale are expected to be allocated to strengthening the brand business.

There is also information that Sakai Chemical Industry is considering acquiring a part of the Sakai factory site, so there are likely to be more developments in 2025. We will continue to introduce the situation in the future.

Google has been making significant investments in data centers in Japan, with recent announcements of facilities in Inzai, Chiba, Hiroshima, and Wakayama. While the company is expanding its presence in Japan, it has faced increased scrutiny from regulators in the West, along with Japan’s Fair Trade Commission.

Google Accused of Antitrust Violations

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is poised to issue a cease-and-desist order against Google, alleging that the tech giant has violated antitrust laws. The FTC is concerned about Google’s practices related to Android devices, including forcing manufacturers to pre-install Google’s proprietary apps as a condition for licensing the Google Play Store.

The commission has been investigating Google since last October, suspecting that the company has tied the pre-installation of Google Search and Google Chrome to the licensing of the Google Play Store. Additionally, Google is accused of imposing strict requirements on the placement of these app icons on Android devices.

If Android devices were to lose access to the Google Play Store, users would be forced to manually install apps, a process that is inconvenient and time-consuming for most users. As a result, many Android manufacturers have felt compelled to comply with Google’s demands, a practice that the FTC believes may constitute a “tying arrangement” prohibited under antitrust law.

The FTC also suspects that Google has shared ad revenue with device manufacturers on the condition that they do not pre-install competing search apps.

The commission has concluded that Google’s practices, which began at the latest in 2020, likely constitute anticompetitive conduct that has excluded rivals and unfairly restricted the business activities of its trading partners. As a result, the FTC plans to issue a cease-and-desist order.

If the order is issued, it would be the first of its kind against a major U.S. tech company in Japan. However, before making a final decision, the FTC will send a written notice to Google and seek its comments.

Heightened Global Regulatory Scrutiny

Last August, a U.S. court sided with the Department of Justice in its antitrust lawsuit against Google, aiming to dismantle the search giant’s dominant position in the search market. In early September, the Department of Justice also launched an investigation into Nvidia.

Amidst this backdrop of intensifying global regulatory scrutiny of big tech companies, Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is set to issue its first-ever cease-and-desist order against a major U.S. tech firm. This development is being closely watched by industry observers.

GDS International, the international subsidiary of GDS, a leading Chinese data center operator, is accelerating its overseas expansion. This article will introduce GDS’s announcement of its entry into the Japanese market.

GDS, a Leading Chinese Data Center Operator

Founded in 2006, GDS currently operates dozens of data centers in the Greater China region, including Suzhou Kunshan, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.

GDS International was established in 2022 and is headquartered in Singapore. It is responsible for the construction and operation of data centers outside mainland China. Currently, it operates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Partnership with Gaw Capital to Build a Data Center in Tokyo

GDS announced that it will partner with Gaw Capital, a Hong Kong-based real estate private equity firm, to jointly build a 40-megawatt (MW) data center park in Tokyo.

In April 2022, Gaw acquired the Fuchu Building in Fuchu Intelligent Park, Fuchu City, Tokyo. GDS and Gaw plan to establish a carrier-neutral data center park on a plot of land within the Fuchu Intelligent Park to meet the huge demand for safe and scalable cutting-edge digital infrastructure.

The total area of the plot is 10,970 square meters (118,080 square feet), and the first phase is scheduled to start operations by the end of 2026. GDS has already received inquiries from customers who intend to place orders.

Wei Huang, Chairman and CEO of GDS, mentioned the size of the Japanese market, its status as one of the three largest data center markets in the Asia-Pacific region, and the rapid growth in demand for artificial intelligence (AI), stating, “I am confident in the rapid growth of our global business.”

According to the Nikkei Shimbun, data centers in the Tokyo area are rapidly increasing, and their capacity is expected to double in the next 3-5 years, surpassing Singapore and closing in on Beijing, the top data center market in Asia. This trend is likely one of the factors driving GDS’s entry into the Japanese market.

GDS Attracts Attention as the First Chinese Data Center Company to Enter Japan

This article has introduced the announcement that has attracted attention as the first Chinese data center company’s entry into the Japanese market.

We will continue to provide updates as more details about the construction of GDS’s data center become available.