Osaka-based Sakura Internet Joins Hokkaido Data Center Consortium

Sakura Internet participates in the Ishikari Data Center Consortium, a new cooperative framework among operators in Hokkaido's Ishikari Bay area focused on infrastructure sharing and disaster preparedness.

OSAKA — Sakura Internet joined the newly formed Ishikari Data Center Consortium (Ishikari DCC), a collaborative platform among data center operators, power providers, and telecom firms in Hokkaido’s Ishikari Bay New Port area, the Osaka-based company announced July 28.

The consortium will coordinate shared infrastructure, disaster response, workforce training, and regional partnerships to develop Ishikari into a leading domestic data center hub. Ishikari City announced the initiative July 23. No financial figures were disclosed.

Sakura Internet has operated its Ishikari Data Center since 2011 and is currently building large-scale GPU infrastructure there to support generative AI workloads. Ishikari Bay has attracted multiple operators due to renewable energy access, low disaster risk, and proximity to Sapporo’s labor pool.

As domestic compute capacity becomes critical infrastructure, Japan’s data center industry is moving from individual facilities toward regional clusters with pooled resilience and efficiency. Ishikari’s multi-operator concentration positions it as a national model for coordinated development.