AT TOKYO and ARTERIA Partner to Install the First Fiber Optic Cable to Traverse Tokyo Port, Enabling Data Center Interconnections via Redundant Land and Marine Routes
Improving Availability via High-Resilience Routes and Providing a High-Capacity and Low-Latency Communications Network

AT TOKYO Corporation (headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tatsuya Izumida; hereinafter, ”AT TOKYO”) and ARTERIA Networks Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tatsuya Abe; hereinafter, “ARTERIA”) have entered into an agreement (hereinafter, “Agreement”) on the installation and use of communication cable facilities, and set to install the first^*1 optical fiber cable to traverse the Tokyo Port. This new cable will link the Toyosu-Ariake and Shibaura-Shinagawa areas, where many IT companies are concentrated.

Background

Infrastructure for communications has become essential in supporting our daily lives, not only for calls and internet connections, but also in many other aspects such as cashless payments, security, disaster prevention, and the use of cloud services. Also, the recent workstyle reforms, the increase of rich content such as video streaming, and the widespread adoption of DX, AI, and IoT upsurge the communication traffic in data centers where such data is accumulated, underlining the urgency of enhancing the infrastructure that supports these communications.

In response to such demands, AT TOKYO and ARTERIA have entered into this Agreement to install an optical fiber communications cable that will cross the Tokyo Port using the Horizontal Directional Drilling method (hereinafter, “HDD method”^*2). AT TOKYO will establish its Chuo Center #3 in the Shibaura-Shinagawa area by July 2024 as a network connection hub alongside its existing data centers, supporting information infrastructure in Tokyo where major financial institutions, content providers, and telecommunications companies from not only Japan, but also from Asia and rest of the world converge. ARTERIA, as a leading communications infrastructure service provider, will connect the IT companies in Toyosu-Ariake area to the new AT TOKYO data center in the Shibaura-Shinagawa area via a high-capacity, low-latency, and shortest cable route, thereby supporting businesses in Tokyo that serves as a hub for high-tech and international financial industries.

The benefits of connecting to surrounding data centers via the Tokyo Port cross-route

■ Enhanced availability through redundant land and marine routes provides a highly resilient communications network

With the installation of this optical fiber communications cable, the Toyosu-Ariake area and the Shibaura-Shinagawa area will be connected via redundant land and marine routes, increasing the resilience and availability of the network infrastructure. Relying solely on existing land routes poses certain risks such as flooding and liquefaction during disasters, leading to potential network disruptions in emergencies. Using the HDD method allows a continuous underground pipeline in submarine areas that ensures high-speed, high-capacity fiber optic communications while preventing cable damage by ship’s anchors, etc. It offers a secure alternative route to the land based routes.

■ High-capacity, low-latency communications that contribute to supporting high-tech industries and improved quality of consumer businesses

Compared to land based routes, the Tokyo Port route will provide a straight and direct connection between the Toyosu-Ariake and Shibaura-Shinagawa areas, enabling low latency communications. Using the communications services provided by ARTERIA, it is easy to connect to the Chiba Minamiboso area and the North Ibaraki area, where landing stations (the terminals for major submarine cables) are concentrated, supporting the demand for overseas wide-band, low-latency connectivity.
High-capacity, low-latency communications provide the backbone for cutting-edge technological industries such as autonomous driving, industrial robots, drone delivery, and telehealth services.
Furthermore, in industries where high-capacity communication is essential, such as video streaming and the rapidly growing e-sports gaming sector, low-latency network procurement is in constant demand. This new route will enhance the overall quality and user satisfaction of services offered by these industries.

*1 According to ARTERIA Networks (as of December 2023)
*2 The HDD Method (Horizontal Directional Drilling) is a propulsion technique that applies technology originally used in oil drilling. It minimizes excavation from the surface and advances a drilling machine horizontally to install pipelines underground. In this project, the method is being deployed at depths of over 60 meters at maximum in order to avoid disturbing Tokyo Port's breakwater and seawall structures. Conventional propulsion methods are typically limited to approximately 1,000 meters, and for distances beyond that shield methods are used. However, by adopting the HDD method, it becomes possible to carry out propulsion work to traverse the approximately 2,000-meter-wide Tokyo Port section, achieving a short delivery period, low cost, and the shortest route (ultra-low latency).

AT TOKYO Corporation Profile

AT TOKYO ensures “24/7 No-Downtime Operations” and provides world-class data center services. AT TOKYO is also a “Connected Data Center.”
With services that boast flexible connectivity alongside mission-critical operations, the company connects various services to clients' systems, links clients with each other, and supports clients' businesses.

ARTERIA Networks Corporation Corporate Profile

Since its establishment in 1997, the company has developed a network business service that utilizes the company's proprietary high-capacity optical fiber backbone and access line to create a customized network environment tailored to corporate customers' needs; an internet business service that provides proprietary high-speed, stable communications based on leased circuits; and a condominium internet business service that has the No. 1^*1 share of the market in Japan (condominium internet service provider: Group company TSUNAGU Network Communications Inc). Building upon these services as a foundation, they continue to expand their DX services to create new value.
In the "Nikkei Computer August 31, 2023 issue, Customer Satisfaction Survey 2023-2024," the company was awarded first place in the "Network Services Category" for the second consecutive year.

Connecting New Abilities
ARTERIA Networks will excite the world with a new heartbeat, using the networks that it has built and refined in order to contribute to the realization of a sustainable world.

*1 MM Research Institute, Ltd., “Market Share Survey of All-House Condominium ISPs (As of March 31,2023)”

*Due to joint press releases, there may be duplication in distribution.
*The information provided in this press release is accurate as of the announcement date. Please note that content may have changed at the time of reading.