3. Stakeholders in the DC business
Apart from mega cloud platformers and general companies, there are many other stakeholders in the DC business.
Design companies, general contractors/construction companies and consulting firms may all be involved in acquiring a site and constructing a DC. These stakeholders receive instructions and specifications from the DC operators and play a role in searching suitable sites for acquisition and construction. With regard to consulting, real estate businesses and other actors provide support or act as intermediaries when a mega cloud platformer invests in HSDC construction in Japan. They have a role both to support site acquisition and to coordinate other stakeholders based on usual Japanese business practice.
In terms of equipment supply, there are manufacturers for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), power supply, central monitoring systems and data center infrastructure management (DCIM) and IT equipment makers handling network server and telecommunication equipment.
For infrastructure there are electric power companies which provide stable high voltage power services for HSDC, telecom carriers and network broadcasting stations which provide connectivity between DCs, internet exchange points (IX) and internet service providers (ISP).
The DC operator for both HSDC and enterprise DC is the DC company, which coordinates stakeholders to maintain and operate the DC.
For each process from development to operations, the DC company may at any time act as a central point to manage the DC business. Furthermore, a HSDC development plan depends on demand from mega cloud platformers and, therefore, there are many cases where a DC is developed to meet the detailed specifications of mega cloud platformers. On occasions, mega cloud platformers may communicate directly with other stakeholders to outline their requirements.