LOGO

Sakura Internet, an Internet service provider that operates its own data centers equipped with Japan’s largest capacity and fastest communication lines, along with advanced security and robust infrastructure, has made a significant stride in the cloud services sector.

The company’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering, “Sakura Cloud,” was certified in November 2023 by Japan’s Digital Agency in its call for cloud services to support government cloud infrastructure development. This certification marks a first for a Japanese company, as previously only foreign entities such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure were selected. This provisional certification is contingent on meeting all technical requirements by the end of fiscal year 2025.

To fulfill these requirements, Sakura Internet must significantly enhance its cloud functionalities in a short period, which hinges on acquiring exceptional IT talents capable of developing sophisticated software. The company plans to allocate grants primarily towards securing IT personnel, with a strategy to hire up to 200 individuals in the fiscal year 2024 and accelerate technological development in data storage and encryption.

Launching Cloud Services for Generative AI

Leveraging its certification as a government cloud provider, Sakura Internet is also venturing into meeting the demands of large corporations utilizing generative AI.

The development of “High Power,” a cloud service tailored for generative AI, was initiated, recognizing the critical need to ensure stable supply of computing resources for AI to advance Japan’s digital society. The service, equipped with “NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs,” commenced on January 31, 2024, with the “High Power PHY” bare-metal series. With a planned investment of 13 billion yen over three years, the company aims to expand this service further.

The newly launched “High Power PHY” features servers with eight “NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs” each and inter-server communication capabilities of 200GbE×4, designed specifically for uses such as large-scale language models central to generative AI. Moreover, the service is set to be provided from the Ishikari Data Center, operated entirely on renewable energy sources, enabling CO2 emission-free development of generative AI.

Industry Spotlight on Sakura Internet

Sakura Internet’s selection as a government cloud service provider, previously dominated by foreign companies, has garnered significant attention. Kunihiru Tanaka, the president of Sakura Internet, expressed a firm commitment to fulfilling the plan to enhance functionalities by the end of fiscal year 2025, reflecting a strong resolve. The future developments of Sakura Internet are highly anticipated within the industry.