Market Trends of Japan Data Center Server Industry
Blade Server Form Factor Segment is Expected to Witness Significant Growth
- A blade server is a small computer used to host and distribute data within a network of computers and systems. It acts as a link between computers, applications, programs, and systems. According to Cloudscene, as of September 2023, there were 218 data centers in Japan. A blade server is typically used in larger data centers due to the need to maximize space and power utilization and efficiency, have high computing needs, and support higher thermal and electrical loads.
- There are close to 40 data centers in Japan that are identified as extensive data center facilities and are expected to increase in the coming years. The Japanese government plans to build several new data centers nationwide by decentralizing landing bases for submarine cables to diversify landing points. Submarine cables are laid mainly on Japan's eastern Pacific Ocean side, with many concentrated in certain areas, such as Tokyo and Shima. The government intends to disperse landing bases in other areas and strengthen economic security. This may lead to significant growth in the large DC segments in newer concentrated areas, boosting the demand for blade servers.
- Constraints on land and power in the greater Tokyo area result in higher construction costs, possible delays for new developments, and fierce competition from domestic and foreign players. DC construction companies are investing in new data centers to build new data centers on scarce land in Japan, but as the demand is high, these data centers are likely to have high computing power. The advantage of blade servers in this situation is that, due to the limited computing components of blade servers, customers can fit more servers into a smaller rack area to increase the density.
- Some Asian countries, such as Japan, do not support 110 V power infrastructure. As a result, they are unable to achieve the power density enjoyed in the United States. For example, a 3-phase 220V power data center in the United States can support a 15 kW rack. However, special cooling solutions are needed to support this power density. Blades are not a viable solution in cases where power is restricted to 110V, no matter the vendor. An exception to this would be a departmental solution, such as the HP BladeSystem C3000 or IBM BladeCenter S.
- Further, blade servers are designed for high-performance processing. Unlike rack servers, blade servers can be hot-swapped. This means that one can remove and replace a blade server in a cluster without powering down the whole cluster. This significantly reduces downtime when an administrator needs to swap out a blade server or move a blade server out of the cluster for maintenance.
- Understanding blade server technology's past, present, and future is essential for organizations of all sizes in Japan to make informed decisions regarding their IT infrastructure. Due to their compact design, high performance, and scalability, blade servers are expected to remain a key component of that infrastructure for many years as they continue to evolve and evolve with the ever-evolving world of technology.
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IT and Telecommunication to be the Fastest Growing End-user Industry
- Japan's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is at the forefront of innovation, driving remarkable progress and creating a future-proof environment. The ICT sector opens up a world of possibilities by utilizing state-of-the-art technologies while facing the challenges that define its growth.
- The growth of the Japanese ICT market is mainly driven by the growing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices across various sectors, such as consumer electronics, military, agriculture, and construction. Japan is home to some of the most prominent ICT organizations in the world, such as Sony, Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC, and Toshiba (Toshiba), which are playing an important role in the growth of Japan as an ICT hub. The increasing government spending on maintaining the top-of-the-line and advanced infrastructure and the proper implementation of many modernization and improvement projects contribute to the market's expansion.
- Japan's ICT market is expected to grow due to the rapid expansion of E-Japan's strategy, which focuses on local e-government projects, such as citizen participation, self-assessment, and feedback on online government services.
- Japan has a high level of stability in business and society, as well as high-quality infrastructure and services such as ICT infrastructure, communication technology, education, healthcare, and more. The Japanese government is taking steps to support the private sector's digital transformation and the emergence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Smart Cities are one of the Japanese government's key initiatives to bring Society 5.0 to life. The 6th Strategic Technology Infrastructure (STI) plan set a goal of 100 initiatives10 to be implemented by 2025 with the participation of 1000+ organizations from local government, regional organizations, and private enterprises. The "Smart City Public-Private Partnership platform" will replace the local and dispersed digital landscape to promote public-private partnerships and develop regional projects. Specific initiatives include centralizing the MyNumber (citizens ID) system and developing database registry standards by 2030.
- Further, the telecom companies in Japan are investing in 6G. The 6G system will not only outperform 5G, but it will also offer high speed, high capacity, low latency, new high-frequency bands (above 100 GHz), extend communication coverage to the sky, sea, and space, and provide ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low-cost communications. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, about 69.8 million 5G subscriptions were counted in Japan as of March 2023. In June 2022, NEC (NEC), Fujitsu (Fujitsu), and Nokia (Nokia) joined forces to test new mobile communication technologies to launch 6G services commercially by 2030.
- Thus, with the overall increase in investment by tech companies, government initiatives to improve the IT industry development and growth in data centers in the country would boost the server market in Japan.
