Launch of Collaboration to Offer IOWN DCI Rack Solution Based on the IOWN Vision in Japan

ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO Tatsushi Shingu; hereinafter CTC), APRESIA Systems, Ltd. (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President Masahiko Suenaga; hereinafter APRESIA), and Edgecore Networks Corporation (headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan; President Mingshou Liu, hereinafter Edgecore) today announced that we have entered into a collaboration to provide an IOWN DCI*2 Rack Solution in Japan. The offering is based on the IOWN*1 technology promoted by NTT that addresses data center infrastructure challenges in the AI era. We will help accelerate the development of highly efficient next-generation data centers that address the power, heat, and latency issues inherent in conventional electrical-based interconnects for large-scale AI processing with our transformative solution.

With the widespread use of generative AI and related technologies, GPU servers are consuming more power and generating more heat, making increased power demand and higher heat density critical challenges for data centers. Moreover, large-scale AI processing requires massive data exchange among servers, further driving up power consumption while increasing communications latency and heat. Addressing these issues requires more than incremental extensions of conventional approaches, it requires a fundamental transformation of data center infrastructure.

The IOWN DCI Rack Solution is next-generation data center infrastructure that re-architects connections and transmissions conventionally dependent on electrical signals, enabling power-efficient, high-speed, and low-latency data transport using optical technologies. It also incorporates the concept of Watt-Bit Collaboration, which optimizes power (watts) and information (bits) in an integrated manner to improve energy efficiency across the data center.

At the core of the solution is Edgecore’s infrastructure solution Nexvec™, which enables flexible allocation and integration of resources required for AI workloads such as GPUs and memory across distributed servers and data center environments. This allows the servers, switches and communication elements required for AI processing to be connected efficiently using optical technologies. In addition, by adopting a data-centric design philosophy, the solution minimizes data movement between compute and storage, delivering both energy efficiency and the high processing performance required in the AI era.

The roles of each company in this collaboration are as follows.

CTC will provide end-to-end support for AI data centers, covering everything from upstream design with a holistic view of the entire facility to construction and operations, and promote optimal infrastructure development for the application of optical technologies. APRESIA will deliver specialized support for GPU network switches and software that enable low-latency, stable communications, as well as the optical layer for inter-data-center connectivity. Edgecore will supply the product portfolio and related components—such as servers and switches—that comprise the AI infrastructure.

Going forward, the three companies will consistently advance the real-world adoption of highly efficient AI infrastructure by integrating leading-edge technologies and surrounding solutions based on the IOWN Vision. Together, we aim to build next-generation infrastructure that supports Japan’s AI industry and contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society.