ESR Group Limited, the Hong Kong-based new economy real asset owner and manager, and STACK Infrastructure, the Japan-based digital infrastructure firm, have jointly constructed and operated a new data center as part of a multi-phase 72-megawatt[1] (MW) data center campus development in Keihanna, located in Japan’s Kansai region.
ESR said in a statement on Monday that the construction of the first building, KIX01A, which has 18 MW of information technology (IT) capacity, has commenced.
It is expected to be ready for service in the second quarter of 2027.
This facility has been pre-certified as LEED Gold for sustainable building design and construction.
The joint venture on KIX01A extends ESR and STACK’s partnership in Asia Pacific (APAC), which includes a 48 MW data center development in Incheon, South Korea, to support the strong demand in artificial intelligence, cloud, and 5G+ technologies.
KIX01A is also part of ESR’s pipeline of four data center assets in Japan and 2 GW of secured land and power across APAC.
ESR’s first hyperscale site, the 25 MW Cosmosquare OS1 Data Center in Osaka, will be ready for service in June 2025.
“Building large-scale campus developments is a unique capability of ESR through our deep in-market expertise in accessing land and power and long-term commitment to collaborate with the local community to maximize positive impact for all stakeholders,
“By combining our strengths and capabilities with STACK, we can meet our hyperscale customers’ needs in a high-growth market and drive value for our investors,” said Stuart Gibson, ESR Group Co-founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer.
Diarmid Massey, Chief Executive Officer of ESR Data Centers, added that Kansai has a growing demand for modern, energy efficient digital infrastructure.
“The ESR-STACK Keihanna campus will deliver state-of-the-art data center capacity, scalability, and flexibility to support hyper scalers and large enterprises in a market that is expected to witness a doubling of critical IT load capacity within the next five years,” he added.
Pithambar (Preet) Gona, Chief Executive Officer of STACK APAC, said that Japan remains one of the most important and fastest-growing data center markets in APAC, and the firm’s expansion into the Kansai region, combined with its existing 36MW campus in Tokyo, reflects STACK’s commitment to delivering critical capacity in strategic locations across the region.
“Together with ESR, we are proud to bring our proven delivery model and client-first approach to Kansai, enabling hyperscale clients to grow with confidence in this high-demand market,” he added.
The ESR-STACK 72 MW Keihanna campus will feature robust access to power and network connectivity to ensure strong reliability for hyperscale, cloud, and large enterprise customers.
Flexible business models allow customers to select a range of solutions, from colocation to customized build-to-suit offerings. In addition, higher rack densities and industry-leading power usage effectiveness, water usage effectiveness, and building standards also support evolving workloads while achieving sustainability targets.