This verification test, which will be conducted from December 1, 2022 to March 17, 2023, was selected by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications as one of its "Development Demonstrations aimed at achieving local challenge-solving 5G in fiscal year 2022."

The trial will involve using a robot equipped with a 4K camera to capture video data from data center equipment, including servers. This data will be transmitted locally via private 5G, and a system will be established to analyze on-site conditions using AI, enabling early detection of any anomalies. Fujitsu aims to create a system that can support on-site condition monitoring and recovery efforts, even from a remote location in the event of a disaster or emergency, by fully leveraging the high-speed transmission capabilities of private 5G technology.

This robust disaster management approach will ensure data centers are resilient and support the digital society.

As society's digitization accelerates and the amount of distributed data rapidly increases, data centers that store and process vast amounts of information are becoming a core part of the infrastructure underpinning the 21st-century digital society. Highlighting this growing importance, the Japanese government's vision of a "Digital Garden City Nation" calls for the establishment of regional data center facilities to mitigate the risks posed by disasters and other vulnerabilities stemming from data center centralization. As the importance of regional data centers continues to grow, their number is expected to increase rapidly in the future.

The key to stable data center operations lies in high-quality maintenance and inspection, along with rapid recovery in the event of a disaster or other emergency. However, the shrinking workforce and the difficulty in recruiting talent remain challenges in many parts of Japan, with this shortage particularly acute in rural areas. Maintaining and improving the quality of inspections with limited staff and reducing workloads are urgent issues for data center operators.

Project summary

Fujitsu will build a private 5G environment at its data center in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and will test the effectiveness of autonomous robots equipped with 4K cameras to patrol equipment and facilities, perform early detection of anomalies, and provide remote support to field workers in case of breakdowns.

1. Location: Fujitsu Yokohama Data Center, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

2. Trial period: December 1, 2022 - March 17, 2023.

3. Test summary:

1. Study on the creation/implementation of a private 5G utilization model (Challenge Trial)

A robot equipped with a 4K camera performs unmanned patrol monitoring to detect anomalies in the operating status of server equipment (LED lamp lighting status) and quickly notifies the operator via the private 5G network in case of any anomalies.

- Remote assistance for system recovery operations via video and audio transmission using private 5G.
- Detection and blocking of unauthorized communications in data centers handling highly sensitive data.

image-test-fujitsu-1

 

2. Technical study on the propagation characteristics of private 5G radio waves (technical demonstration)

A flexible area construction method using a DAS antenna (1) will be used to build a private 5G area network in a server room with a low ceiling and many high barriers, and in an electrical room with high-voltage cables placed on the ceiling, and the effects of radio wave propagation will be measured.

- Radio propagation measurement and performance evaluation (4.8~4.9 GHz indoor band)
- Refining the calculation formula parameters specified in the area calculation method specified in the examination standards related to the current Radio Law, contributing to the efficiency of area design in development to other sites.

image-test-fujitsu-23. Division of functions

Fujitsu Limited: Construction of the development and demonstration system, demonstration evaluation, and consideration.
Fujitsu Research Institute Limited: Support for project promotion and support for future horizontal development planning.

Fujitsu plans to use the knowledge gained from this trial to implement similar systems in its own data centers, and by providing the results of its efforts as a solution to other data center operators, contribute to the development of a resilient social infrastructure that supports the Japanese government's vision of a Digital Garden City Nation.

Notes
[1] DAS: Distributed Antenna System. System for extending the communication area by distributing the radio waves received from the base station.