Hitachi, J-POWER, Cisco Systems, Bitmedia, JR East, JR West Optical Network, and Nagoya Railroad will begin studies toward technical demonstration of workload shifting (WLS) and wide-area all-optical network (Wide-area APN) construction for AI data centers. To facilitate these studies, the “Wide-area APN/Workload Shift Innovation Promotion Council” has been established.

WLS is a technology that promotes the adjustment of power supply and demand balance and the effective use of computing resources by shifting computing loads temporally or spatially.

This study aims to establish a new operational model that leverages the strengths of regionally distributed data centers to contribute to the stabilization and efficiency of power systems. Specifically, it will construct a secure, private APN network spanning the entire country using unused optical fiber lines (dark fiber) owned by railway operators such as the J-POWER Group, JR companies, and private railway companies.

Furthermore, by combining this with WSL technology, the aim is to operate multiple distributed AI data centers in a coordinated manner, as if they were a single large-scale data center.

Through social implementation, the goal is to realize the “watt-bit collaboration” policy, which integrates and enhances power and information and communication infrastructure, thereby stabilizing and improving the efficiency of the power system, promoting the integrated formation of decentralized digital infrastructure in rural areas, and advancing regional coexistence.

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