Together with Fujitsu Research Institute Limited, Fujitsu Limited will conduct a number of field trials at its Yokohama Data Center with the goal of advancing the digital transformation of data centers and enhancing operational resilience and process automation through the use of private 5G network technology for equipment inspection.
During the trial, a robot with a 4K camera will be used to record footage of servers and other equipment in the data center. A system will be built to assess local circumstances with AI in order to identify any anomalies at an early stage. This data will be transferred locally through private 5G.
By fully using the high-speed transmission capabilities of private 5G technology, Fujitsu hopes to develop a system that can enable the monitoring of circumstances on the ground and recovery operations even from a faraway position in the case of a catastrophe or emergency.
The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has chosen this verification experiment as one of its ‘Development Demonstrations Aimed at Achieving Challenge-Solving Local 5G in Fiscal 2022.’ The private 5G trial will run from December 1, 2022, to March 17, 2023.
Sharing Trial Results with Other Data Centers
High quality maintenance, inspection, and quick recovery in the case of an incident are essential for reliable data center operations, stated Fujitsu. However, the decline in the working population and the difficulty in finding talent, which is particularly acute in rural regions, continue to be challenges in many areas of Japan. Reduced workload and maintaining and enhancing inspection quality with a small staff are pressing problems for data center operators, added Fujitsu.
Fujitsu will build a private 5G environment at its data center in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and verify the effectiveness of autonomous robots equipped with 4K cameras for patrolling equipment and facilities, make early detection of abnormalities, and offer remote support for field workers in the event of a failure.
In order to implement similar systems in its own data centers and share the results of its work as a solution with other data center operators, Fujitsu intends to use the knowledge gained from this trial. In doing so, it hopes to support the Japanese government’s vision for a ‘Digital Garden City Nation’ by helping to build resilient social infrastructure.
