Collaboration Begins for Domestic Deployment of "IOWN DCI Rack Solution" Based on IOWN Concept
Itochu Techno-Solutions, APRESIA Systems, and Edgecore Networks have commenced a collaboration for the domestic deployment of the "IOWN DCI Rack Solution," based on NTT's IOWN concept. This solution aims to fundamentally address infrastructure challenges in the AI era, such as power, heat, and latency, by utilizing optical technology to build highly efficient next-generation data centers.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 12, 2026 at 06:13 (19h 41m after Collected)
Itochu Techno-Solutions Corporation (President & CEO: Tatsushi Shingu, Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter: CTC), APRESIA Systems Corporation (President & CEO: Masahiko Suenaga, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter: APRESIA), and Edgecore Networks Corporation (President: Mingshou Liu, Headquarters: Hsinchu City, Taiwan; hereinafter: Edgecore) have commenced a collaboration to promote the domestic deployment of the "IOWN DCI *2 Rack Solution," which addresses infrastructure challenges in the AI era based on NTT's proposed IOWN*1 concept. They will fundamentally improve issues such as power, heat, and latency that occurred with conventional electrical wiring in large-scale AI processing, and proceed with the construction of highly efficient next-generation data centers.
With the spread of generative AI and other technologies, the power consumption and heat generation of GPU servers are increasing, posing challenges for data centers in terms of rising power demand and heat density. Furthermore, large volumes of data travel between servers in large-scale AI processing, leading to power consumption, latency, and heat generation in communication. It is difficult to address these challenges with extensions of conventional methods, necessitating a fundamental infrastructure overhaul.
The IOWN DCI Rack Solution is a next-generation data center infrastructure that innovates conventional electrical signal-centric connections and transmissions, realizing power-saving, high-speed, and low-latency data transmission based on the utilization of optical technology. It also incorporates the concept of "watt-bit collaboration," which integrally optimizes power (watts) and information (bits), contributing to improved overall data center power efficiency.
At the core of this solution is Edgecore's "Nexvec™" platform (a platform that can flexibly integrate resources such as GPUs and memory necessary for AI processing in distributed servers and data center environments), which realizes a structure that can efficiently connect servers, switches, and communication elements necessary for AI processing using optics.
Furthermore, by incorporating a data-centric design philosophy, data exchange between computation and storage is minimized, achieving both energy efficiency and high processing performance required in the AI era.
The roles of each company in this collaboration are as follows:
CTC will consistently handle everything from upstream design to construction and operation of the entire AI data center, promoting the development of optimal infrastructure based on optical technology. APRESIA will specialize in supporting GPU network switches and software that enable low-latency and stable communication, as well as the optical layer for DC interconnection. Edgecore will provide products and related components such as servers and switches that constitute the AI infrastructure.
Moving forward, the three companies will continuously promote the social implementation of high-efficiency AI infrastructure by linking advanced technologies and peripheral solutions through the IOWN concept. They also aim to build next-generation infrastructure that supports Japan's AI industry and contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society.
■IOWN DCI Rack Solution Image Diagram
■Roles of Each Company
In addition, we have received the following comments regarding this announcement:
NTT is collaborating with partners including Taiwan's Accton/Edgecore, and is proceeding with the development and provision of AI computing infrastructure that can flexibly utilize distributed computing resources using IOWN technology's optical network, in line with the shift in AI infrastructure from large-scale learning to inference processing.
We welcome this announcement as it will lead to the early social implementation of IOWN, a next-generation communication infrastructure with large capacity, low latency, and low power consumption.
Yoshitsugu Shimazu, Head of Technology Innovation Promotion Office, Technology Planning Department, NTT Corporation
*1 IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a next-generation network concept that realizes high-speed, low-latency, and low-power consumption, which are difficult to achieve with conventional electronic processing, through a new communication infrastructure centered on optics. CTC, APRESIA, and Accton are members of the IOWN GLOBAL FORUM™ promoting "IOWN®."
*2 DCI has multiple meanings, including Data Centric Infrastructure (a design philosophy that optimizes data placement, access, and processing), Data Center Interconnect (integrating and controlling distributed data centers), and Data Center Infrastructure (the foundational components that constitute a data center).
* Other product names and proper nouns mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
* The information published is current as of the announcement date. Please note that the latest information may differ.
End
With the spread of generative AI and other technologies, the power consumption and heat generation of GPU servers are increasing, posing challenges for data centers in terms of rising power demand and heat density. Furthermore, large volumes of data travel between servers in large-scale AI processing, leading to power consumption, latency, and heat generation in communication. It is difficult to address these challenges with extensions of conventional methods, necessitating a fundamental infrastructure overhaul.
The IOWN DCI Rack Solution is a next-generation data center infrastructure that innovates conventional electrical signal-centric connections and transmissions, realizing power-saving, high-speed, and low-latency data transmission based on the utilization of optical technology. It also incorporates the concept of "watt-bit collaboration," which integrally optimizes power (watts) and information (bits), contributing to improved overall data center power efficiency.
At the core of this solution is Edgecore's "Nexvec™" platform (a platform that can flexibly integrate resources such as GPUs and memory necessary for AI processing in distributed servers and data center environments), which realizes a structure that can efficiently connect servers, switches, and communication elements necessary for AI processing using optics.
Furthermore, by incorporating a data-centric design philosophy, data exchange between computation and storage is minimized, achieving both energy efficiency and high processing performance required in the AI era.
The roles of each company in this collaboration are as follows:
CTC will consistently handle everything from upstream design to construction and operation of the entire AI data center, promoting the development of optimal infrastructure based on optical technology. APRESIA will specialize in supporting GPU network switches and software that enable low-latency and stable communication, as well as the optical layer for DC interconnection. Edgecore will provide products and related components such as servers and switches that constitute the AI infrastructure.
Moving forward, the three companies will continuously promote the social implementation of high-efficiency AI infrastructure by linking advanced technologies and peripheral solutions through the IOWN concept. They also aim to build next-generation infrastructure that supports Japan's AI industry and contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society.
■IOWN DCI Rack Solution Image Diagram
■Roles of Each Company
In addition, we have received the following comments regarding this announcement:
NTT is collaborating with partners including Taiwan's Accton/Edgecore, and is proceeding with the development and provision of AI computing infrastructure that can flexibly utilize distributed computing resources using IOWN technology's optical network, in line with the shift in AI infrastructure from large-scale learning to inference processing.
We welcome this announcement as it will lead to the early social implementation of IOWN, a next-generation communication infrastructure with large capacity, low latency, and low power consumption.
Yoshitsugu Shimazu, Head of Technology Innovation Promotion Office, Technology Planning Department, NTT Corporation
*1 IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a next-generation network concept that realizes high-speed, low-latency, and low-power consumption, which are difficult to achieve with conventional electronic processing, through a new communication infrastructure centered on optics. CTC, APRESIA, and Accton are members of the IOWN GLOBAL FORUM™ promoting "IOWN®."
*2 DCI has multiple meanings, including Data Centric Infrastructure (a design philosophy that optimizes data placement, access, and processing), Data Center Interconnect (integrating and controlling distributed data centers), and Data Center Infrastructure (the foundational components that constitute a data center).
* Other product names and proper nouns mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
* The information published is current as of the announcement date. Please note that the latest information may differ.
End