NTT Group’s ICT solutions and international communications business NTT Communications will begin construction of its Osaka 5 data center in the heart of the city in Japan.

NTT said Osaka 5 will be the newest addition to its Nexcenter brand of data center service.

It said it will provide cloud and colocation services that customers can use to create hybrid cloud environments connected to cloud infrastructure and virtual networks.

The virtual networks will incorporate software-defined networking (SDN) and Open Flow technologies to enable users to change system configurations flexibly and on demand.

Electricity for the facility will be sourced from two separate power substations for a highly reliable power supply.

NTT said Osaka 5 will have back-up power and office space of about 430 sq m that comes with communication with sever rooms and can serve as a base control program base if a disaster were to strike Tokyo or another city where a customer has domestic operations.

Cooling for the facility has been designed with energy efficient air conditioning systems that incorporate water cooling, end wall injection air condition and outdoor-air use to reduce power consumption.

Osaka 5 is designed to be highly efficient and expects to achieve a 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating, which according to NTT will be a first in the surrounding Kansai region and one of the highest levels in Japan.

NTT said compared to similar facilities, construction and operating costs will be reduced by some 30% through use of an existing building foundation, with NTT adopting mega-structure design to reduce steel consumption while maintaining rigidity and a highly efficient data center layout.

Osaka 5 is built on the area’s Uemachi fault and is engineered to withstand earthquakes equal to the Kobe Earthquake of 1995 or the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

Further adding to communications redundancy, Osaka 5 will be connected directly to a large quakeproof communication cable tunnel designed to protect cables during earthquakes, as well as road construction.

The facility will provide direct connection of fiber optics which will be possible through cable tunnelling and proximity to the Dojima area – the Kansai region’s major site for Internet exchanges.

NTT is aiming for Osaka 5 to come online in Q1 2016.