Digital Realty expands Innovation Lab Network to Singapore and Japan to accelerate AI and hybrid cloud implementation

• New sites help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production
• Expansion marks first Asia Pacific rollout of Digital Realty Innovation Lab

Digital Realty, the largest cloud and carrier-neutral data centre platform, has expanded its Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) to Singapore and Japan, marking the first extension of its global DRIL network into Asia Pacific. The move follows the launch of its inaugural facility in Northern Virginia in September 2025, which hosted more than 120 enterprise customer engagements.

The new locations will provide fully supported, real-world testing environments where customers and partners can validate AI and hybrid cloud deployments before scaling to production. As AI adoption accelerates, infrastructure readiness has become a key barrier to moving from pilot projects to live deployment.

The expansion supports Singapore and Japan’s continued leadership in AI innovation. Singapore’s digital economy accounts for 18.6% of GDP, while Japan plans to invest US$67 billion (RM315 billion) in the semiconductor and AI sectors by 2030. Both facilities are expected to be operational this year.

Enabling next-generation AI infrastructure

The Singapore DRIL will serve as a digital innovation hub, connecting enterprises, technology partners and research institutions to test and deploy AI and hybrid cloud solutions.

In Japan, the lab will be located at Digital Realty’s NRT12 data centre in Greater Tokyo. Designed for advanced AI and high-performance computing workloads, it will feature 20 racks with direct liquid cooling capabilities to support high-density deployments.

“Sustaining rapidly expanding digital economies requires infrastructure that is AI-ready, efficient and resilient,” said Serene Nah, managing director and head of Asia Pacific at Digital Realty.

“Since launching the DRIL in the US, we’ve seen strong demand from customers and partners across Asia Pacific seeking dedicated environments to validate AI and hybrid cloud architectures before deploying at scale. Bringing this capability to Singapore and Japan reflects the digital maturity of these markets and their critical role in shaping the region’s long-term digital competitiveness. By creating spaces where enterprises can test, optimise and de-risk their AI infrastructure, we are accelerating responsible deployment and strengthening Asia Pacific’s position as a hub for trusted digital innovation,” she added.

Purpose-built infrastructure for AI and hybrid cloud validation

The Singapore and Japan DRIL sites will enable enterprises to test performance, optimise configurations and connect to cloud and network providers via Digital Realty’s ServiceFabric interconnection platform.

By leveraging Digital Realty’s experience in deploying AI-ready infrastructure and its Pervasive Datacentre Architecture methodology, the Singapore DRIL enables customers to test, optimise and validate AI deployments in real-world conditions, reducing complexity and accelerating the journey from pilot to production.

Consistent with the global DRIL network, key features include:

• High-density AI and HPC testing: Support for AI and HPC workloads of up to 150kW per cabinet
• Energy- and cooling-aware testing: Evaluation of performance, power density and efficiency trade-offs before full-scale deployment
• AI infrastructure optimisation: Exploration of AI-specific power, cooling and GPU requirements
• Hybrid cloud validation: Direct cloud connectivity via ServiceFabric, Digital Realty’s interconnection and orchestration platform
• AI workload orchestration: Secure, low-latency integration across distributed environments through Digital Realty’s Private AI Exchange
• Latency testing across locations: Validation of performance across multiple sites and cloud destinations

The global DRIL network supports a growing ecosystem of partners, including AMD, Cisco and Lenovo, focused on scaling AI and hybrid cloud architectures.