Fidelity and Mitsui to provide data centres in Japan

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS), a leading provider of global hyperscale data centre solutions, has today announced that Fidelity, a financial investments company, has entered a joint venture agreement with the Japanese conglomerate, Mitsui, to provide hyperscale data centres in Japan. The move aims to strengthen Colt Data Centre Service’s presence in the Tokyo and Osaka regions of the country. 

The new joint venture will be a 50:50 ownership and will allow Colt DCS to accelerate its hyperscale strategy. “Japan remains a strategic country of focus for our regional expansion, where the demand for large-scale data centre capacity outstrips supply”, said Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO, Colt Data Centre Services. “Whilst Colt DCS already has a solid reputation in the market for working with the world’s largest hyperscale cloud providers and multi-national companies, the partnership with Mitsui and its strategic alliances will provide new opportunities for us to further penetrate the domestic enterprise sector and accelerate our land banking strategy”. 

The “unprecedented success” of Colt Data Centre Services in Japan 

Over the years, Colt Data Centre Services has seen “unprecedented” levels of success in Japan. The company pre-sold 94% of its capacity before the launch of its Inzai Three facility in November last year and has recently been named Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 Japan Data Center Services Company of the Year, an award which examines criteria such as customer experience, operations excellence technical capabilities, and innovation. Colt DCS currently have 50MW existing built in Japan, which will almost triple to 140MW following the joint venture.

Talking about hyperscale demand and digital transformation, Shinsuke Waka, General Manager of Financial Business Division at Mitsui & Co., said: “Data centres play a critical role in the digital transformation of businesses across the globe, and the demand for high-quality and environmentally conscious hyperscale data centres is huge. Through the management of the Mitsui Fund and our joint venture, Mitsui will utilise its unique financial and industrial capabilities to respond jointly to these needs with its global prestigious partners”. 

The joint venture will appoint Colt DCS as the service provider for design, development, operations and customer service management. According to the company, Mitsui & Co. will serve as the asset manager for the venture, covering structuring, financing, land sourcing, development support and Japanese customer marketing by utilising Mitsui group’s deep industrial capabilities.