Asia Pacific Land (APL) Group and Global Compute Infrastructure (GCI) Announce Joint Venture to Develop a Data Center Campus in Kyushu, Japan

Press Release – January 20, 2025

The Asia Pacific Land (APL) Group, a global private investment firm with over 30 years of investment, development and asset management business in Japan, and Global Compute Infrastructure (GCI), a data infrastructure investment firm led by seasoned international industry veterans, today announced the commencement of a joint venture with the vision to develop a new data center hub in Kyushu, Japan.

Located on a 15.5 acre site (19,000 tsubo) in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka prefecture and purchased by APL from Kitakyushu City in November, 2023, the joint venture has launched its first project capable of accommodating 120MW of total power load. This committed power capacity will come online in September 2027 and facilitate delivery of the first 60MW phase planned for this campus. APL’s and GCI’s shared vision is to nurture and develop Kyushu as a third datacenter hub in Japan, strongly positioned to be a key location for the entire East Asia region to meet AI, hyperscale/cloud, and corporate enterprise deployment needs. The partnership has secured additional land and power resources that allows for a total of approximately 250 MW by 2029 in Fukuoka Prefecture. 

“We are thrilled to work with GCI to realize our vision of creating a new data center hub in Kyushu,” said Yoshinobu Takahara, Chief Investment Officer, Asia, at APL. “This project is about more than infrastructure; it represents a commitment to continue working with the local and national government to position Kyushu as a critical player in Japan’s continued digital transformation by creating technology-related jobs and stimulating the local economy.”

Kyushu’s unique advantages make it an ideal location for this ambitious venture. The region boasts significant cost advantages with the lowest electricity rates in Japan, abundant near-term energy availability, and exceptional connectivity both locally and region-wide, providing much needed geographic diversification from Osaka and Tokyo. With two-thirds of its power grid provided from carbon free sources, Kyushu offers the most sustainable power in Japan. Additionally, Kyushu’s position at the terminus of Japan’s fiber backbone, with direct connectivity to Busan, Korea and other key Asia-Pacific markets, ensures reliable access to both domestic networks and regional sub-sea trunk lines.

“We are very excited to collaborate with APL to launch this significant, market-changing initiative,” said Scott Peterson, President and CEO of GCI. “Together, we are leveraging our expertise to establish an innovative data center hub that will serve the needs of the world’s most demanding data center customers across a range of deployment sizes and needs. In particular we will be uniquely positioned to meet the largest, most dense AI and hyperscale needs in the market. As other markets throughout Japan and the Asia-Pacific region face increasing challenges, Kyushu will emerge as a highly desirable data center option not only within Japan but also as a strategic gateway for regional deployments.”

Announced at the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) conference, William Barney, Chairman, added: “With the rapid acceleration of AI in the last 15 months, APL and GCI are taking some bold steps to leverage Kyushu’s strategic geographical location and its abundant, reasonably priced power to launch the repositioning of Japan as a natural AI infrastructure hub. This is an important day in the reshaping of global hubs around the world.”

Construction on the first project is expected to begin as early as 2026.

Citizens Digital Infrastructure M&A Advisory, formerly known as DH Capital, served as the exclusive financial advisor to APL.

For more information, visit www.asialand.com and www.gc-infra.com.

About APL

The APL Group is a private investment firm focused on real estate, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, and private equity transactions. With over 30 years of experience in Japan, APL has become one of the few international firms with a robust development track record ranging across asset classes including multi-tenant retail, hotels, boutique urban residential, and solar farms. The firm actively pursues special situations and value-add opportunities, including corporate acquisitions, development, redevelopment, portfolio acquisitions, and other complex transactions across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Since its founding in 1994, the APL Group has completed over $23 billion in transactions globally and currently operates through its offices in New York, London, Berlin, Luxembourg, Munich, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tokyo.

About GCI

Global Compute Infrastructure is a leading data infrastructure firm led by a team of international industry veterans with over 80 years of combined experience. GCI develops, acquires, and operates data center assets across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

GCI partners with the world’s largest technology companies to provide secure, reliable, and innovative solutions for their compute capacity and connectivity needs in both high-growth and established markets.