Equinix and Sakura internet launch strategic partnership

• Equinix to support SAKURA internet in response to the growing domestic demand for GPUs and its first expansion into Asia through its cloud business

Equinix Japan K.K. (Japan Managing Director: Kuniko Ogawa, hereinafter referred to as “Equinix”), a global digital infrastructure company, and SAKURA internet Inc. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka City, Founder & CEO, President: Kunihiro Tanaka, hereinafter referred to as “SAKURA internet”), a provider of digital infrastructure services, have announced the launch of a strategic partnership aimed at expanding their cloud business within Japan and the Asia region. Through this partnership, SAKURA internet’s GPU-based cloud services will be rolled out on Equinix’s Platform Equinix® to support the rapidly growing demand for AI and to assist SAKURA internet in its first business expansion into Asia.

Background and outlook of the partnership 

In June 2023, SAKURA internet became the first private company to receive certification from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for its supply assurance plan for the ‘Cloud Program’. The company is currently developing large-scale cloud services for generative AI, equipped with a total of 18.9 EFLOPS*1, *2 of GPU capacity. Equinix, on the other hand, is accelerating the digital transformation of businesses through its interconnection services and diverse ecosystems, supported by more than 264 IBX®︎ data centers in 72 cities around the world. 

With this partnership, SAKURA internet will leverage Equinix’s domestic IBX data centers and Platform Equinix, which includes its networks and ecosystem, to enhance its GPU-based cloud services and pursue new business developments in the Asia region.  Equinix will provide timely support for SAKURA internet’s service expansion both domestically and internationally, delivering sustainable and seamless infrastructure and services to its customers. 

 *1 EFLOPS: A unit for measuring the speed of computer processing, this represents the number of floating-point operations that can be executed in one second, measured in units of quintillion operations 
*2 Half precision, without sparsity acceleration

Comment from Kunihiro Tanaka, Founder & CEO, President of SAKURA internet Inc. 

“We are very pleased to begin establishing an AI platform in Asia through this collaboration with Equinix. Since the dawn of the internet, SAKURA internet has been focusing on server and cloud businesses. We believe that cloud services will become even more indispensable as social infrastructure in the future. Particularly in the field of generative AI, we expect its usage to accelerate further, and from the perspective of ‘digital deficits’ and ‘economic security,’ it is essential to create an environment where Asia can continue to develop generative AI. To meet the increasing AI demand in the future, SAKURA internet will continue to ensure a stable supply of computing resources, contributing to the ongoing development of a digital society.” 

Comment from Kuniko Ogawa, Managing Director of Equinix Japan K.K. 

“Supporting the rapidly growing domestic demand for AI is a crucial factor in realizing the Government’s vision of a ‘Smart Society.’ Through this collaboration with SAKURA internet, we are delighted to be able to assist domestic companies in adopting AI, solving Japan’s social challenges, and contributing to building a sustainable future. Additionally, with SAKURA internet’s first overseas expansion in Asia, we are confident that by utilizing our Platform Equinix®︎, we can provide support with unparalleled speed and flexibility.”