Located within a live colocation data center on Digital Realty’s Northern Virginia campus, the DRIL enables customers to configure their new workloads in a lab-like environment for validation and optimization. New customers can work with Digital Realty and its partners to replicate a representative architecture, facilitating realistic, low-risk testing without impacting production systems. The DRIL eliminates uncertainty by allowing companies to assess performance, optimize configurations, and seamlessly connect to network and cloud providers through ServiceFabric®, Digital Realty’s global interconnection and orchestration platform.

“Innovation is not optional; it’s a competitive requirement in a world where data volumes and AI adoption are accelerating,” says Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Realty. “However, many companies continue to deploy complex infrastructures without the ability to test, validate, or optimize them under real-world conditions. DRIL changes that. It provides a high-density, active environment where customers gain real-time, data-driven insights to fine-tune their deployments before scaling. As hybrid IT, AI, and colocation strategies converge, the innovation lab is designed to help companies become more agile, reduce risk, and move faster from proof of concept to production.”

Key features of DRIL:

• High-density testing for AI and HPC: DRIL supports AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads with high-density colocation, supporting loads up to 150kW per rack.
• Infrastructure optimization for AI: The ePlus AI Experience Center helps companies explore specific power, cooling, and GPU resource requirements in an environment optimized for AI infrastructure.
• Hybrid cloud validation: With direct cloud connectivity, businesses can recalibrate their hybrid strategies and seamlessly connect with ServiceFabric® via cross-connects.
• AI workload orchestration: DRIL helps customers orchestrate AI workloads through Digital Realty’s Private AI Exchange (AIPx) service, ensuring performance and seamless integration.
• Cross-location latency testing: Businesses can test latency scenarios to ensure performance across multiple cloud locations and destinations.

The DRIL launch builds upon the AI ​​Experience Center, launched in 2024 with ePlus and Vertiv. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to accelerate the delivery of AI outcomes and optimize AI technologies. The AI ​​Experience Center provides a dedicated space for AI-centric use cases. It leverages advanced infrastructure requirements such as power, cooling, and GPU resources, while also exploring the cloud, edge, and colocation connectivity needs of real-world AI deployments.

Digital Realty's Northern Virginia campus is the primary location for DRIL, but businesses can also test latency scenarios between this data center and other remote locations. This capability helps organizations fine-tune cloud connectivity with ServiceFabric®, ensuring optimal performance across multiple sites. DRIL deployments are already underway in other parts of the world, with the next one scheduled to launch in London in early 2026.