Key facts
- Mitsubishi Estate plans to invest approximately $9.3 billion in building large-scale data centers in Japan.
- The expansion is driven by increasing demand for data centers due to the spread of artificial intelligence.
- The company also has plans for a $15 billion data center build-up in the U.S.
- Mitsubishi Estate's subsidiary, Marunouchi Direct Access, has previously opened data centers in Tokyo.
- Mitsui & Co. is acquiring a hyperscale data center in Japan as part of its expansion strategy.
Mitsubishi Estate is planning a substantial investment of approximately 1.5 trillion yen ($9.3 billion) to construct large-scale data centers within Japan. This strategic move is driven by the escalating demand for data center infrastructure, largely attributed to the proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies.
In parallel, Nikkei Asia has learned that Mitsubishi Estate intends to build 14 data centers in the United States, with an estimated total cost of around 2.3 trillion yen ($15 billion). This U.S. expansion represents a significant bet on the need for capacity in the world's largest market, catering to technology companies.
Further underscoring its commitment to the sector, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Estate, Marunouchi Direct Access, opened a new data center facility, Otemachi DC II, in Tokyo in July 2021. This facility, with a capacity of 130 racks, is part of a larger redevelopment district near Tokyo Station. Marunouchi Direct Access, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Estate and Marubeni Corporation, has been providing data center and dark fiber services in Tokyo since 2000, having previously opened two other facilities.
Separately, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. announced its decision to acquire an operational hyperscale data center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, through its subsidiary Mitsui & Co. Asset Management Holdings Ltd. (MAH). MAH will invest 18 billion yen for a 50% stake in the holding company that will own the data center. Mitsui views hyperscale data centers as critical digital infrastructure supporting AI and cloud services, and this acquisition is part of its broader strategy to expand its data center business.