NEC and partners to test regional distributed data centers in Japan

NEC Corporation and four partner companies have been selected by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for a demonstration project involving regional distributed data centers. The initiative utilizes the All-Photonics Network (APN) to create a local data circulation infrastructure designed to address the rising demand for AI processing.

The project aims to connect GPU servers distributed across multiple regional locations via APN, enabling resource sharing between operators. This model seeks to improve the efficiency of limited computing resources and allow for real-time AI processing, reducing reliance on large-scale data centers in metropolitan areas which can face latency and disaster resilience challenges.

Scheduled to take place in Tochigi Prefecture between August 2026 and February 2027, the demonstration will involve connecting three cable television providers via optical fiber. One practical application will involve using NEC’s video recognition AI and Large Language Model (LLM) technology to perform real-time inference on baseball game footage from the Tochigi Golden Braves, automatically generating descriptive text and information overlays.

Additionally, the group will test technologies for automatic optical wavelength path optimization and dynamic switching to ensure stable network operations during disasters. The findings are intended to support the expansion of distributed data center models to other regions and various sectors, including public services, regional healthcare, and disaster prevention.