Digital Realty has begun construction of KIX15, a 24 MW data centre at its KIX Campus in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. Scheduled to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2028, the facility is designed for high-density computing, including AI infrastructure.
The project is being developed by MC Digital Realty, the 50/50 joint venture between Digital Realty and Mitsubishi Corporation, and will become the fifth data centre at the KIX Campus. Once completed, the facility is expected to take MC Digital Realty’s Japan portfolio to 10 data centres with about 220 MW of aggregate IT capacity.
KIX15 adds capacity to the Osaka campus
The project follows the opening earlier in 2026 of the NRT14 Data Center in Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture, which Digital Realty described as one of the first facilities in Japan to achieve DGX-Ready Data Center certification. The new facility forms part of Digital Realty’s planned expansion across the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas, while also joining PlatformDIGITAL, the company’s global data centre platform. Digital Realty states that the platform spans more than 300 data centres across more than 55 metropolitan areas in over 30 countries on six continents.
Describing Japan as a strategic market, Serene Nah, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific at Digital Realty, linked the company’s continued investment there to its long-term growth plans in Asia Pacific and commitment to infrastructure development. She added, “KIX15 is the next step in that commitment. As customer requirements become more distributed and complex, the combination of local scale and global reach will become increasingly important.”
Kansai project focuses on AI infrastructure
MC Digital Realty is making KIX15 a key component of its Kansai AI Infrastructure Co-Creation Project, an initiative centred on the KIX Campus to support the development of AI infrastructure across the Kansai region. The project combines expansion of the campus with stronger domestic and international connectivity alongside deeper collaboration with telecommunications and technology partners.
Kohei Yamashita, Representative Director and Chief Executive Officer of MC Digital Realty, said, “Kansai has a growing opportunity to play a larger role in Japan’s AI economy. Realising that potential will require an ecosystem that can support businesses as they build and scale AI, bringing together computing infrastructure, connectivity and technology expertise.”
Digital Realty linked the development to growing demand in Japan for higher-density computing environments, advanced cooling and reliable connectivity as adoption of generative AI and cloud services grows. The facility is designed to support hybrid air- and liquid-cooling technologies, while its campus-based design is intended to provide scalability and a high level of security. The company expects the facility to support a broad range of customers, including hyperscalers, cloud service providers and companies deploying AI infrastructure.
Connectivity links new capacity with existing systems
Through Digital Realty’s ServiceFabric orchestration and interconnection platform and collaboration with multiple network service providers, KIX15 customers will have access to low-latency connectivity to key locations and cloud services in Japan, as well as to more than 300 Digital Realty data centres worldwide, according to the company. Digital Realty says the arrangement is intended to allow customers to expand into high-power, high-density infrastructure at the KIX Campus while maintaining connectivity with their existing IT environments.
