Digital Realty, a global provider of cloud and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced the introduction of its data centre innovation lab.
The Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) offers partners and customers a fully supported, real-world data centre testing environment where they can bring their own workloads or leverage pre-configured infrastructure to validate AI and hybrid cloud-deployments before scaling.
Located within a live colocation data centre at Digital Realty’s Northern Virginia campus, the DRIL enables existing customers to configure their new workloads in the lab environment for validation and optimisation. New customers can collaborate with Digital Realty and its partners to replicate a representative architecture – enabling realistic, low-risk testing without impacting production systems. The DRIL eliminates guesswork by allowing businesses to test performance, optimise configurations and seamlessly connect to cloud and network providers via ServiceFabric, Digital Realty’s global interconnection and orchestration platform.
“Innovation isn’t optional – it’s a competitive requirement in a world where data volumes and AI adoption are accelerating,” said Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Realty. “Yet, many enterprises still deploy complex infrastructure without the ability to test, validate, or optimise in real-world conditions. The DRIL changes that. It provides a live, high-density 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 purpose-built to help enterprises stay agile, reduce risk, and move faster – from proof of concept to production.”
Key features of the DRIL include:
● High-Density AI and HPC Testing – The DRIL supports AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads with high-density colocation, accommodating workloads up to 150kW per cabinet.
● AI Infrastructure Optimisation – The ePlus AI Experience Centre enables businesses to explore AI-specific power, cooling, and GPU resource requirements in an environment optimised for AI infrastructure.
● Hybrid Cloud Validation – With direct cloud connectivity, enterprises can refine hybrid strategies and seamlessly onboard with ServiceFabric® through cross connects.
● AI Workload Orchestration – The DRIL allows customers to orchestrate AI workloads across Digital Realty’s Private AI Exchange (AIPx), ensuring seamless integration and performance.
● Latency Testing Across Locations – Enterprises can test latency scenarios ensuring seamless performance across multiple locations as well as cloud destinations.
“At AMD, we’re committed to enable the world’s most advanced computing for every workload, from the cloud to the edge,” Robert Hormuth, Corporate Vice President, Architecture and Strategy, Data Centre Solutions Group, AMD.
“The DRIL showcases how AMD EPYC processors and AMD Instinct accelerators deliver exceptional AI and HPC performance in a production-grade, high-density powered and liquid cooled environment. Alongside the DRIL, we work directly with enterprise customers, partners, and the broader ecosystem to accelerate innovation, validate real-world use cases, and help organisations bring AI-powered solutions to market faster.”
The launch of the DRIL builds on the AI Experience Centre, which was launched in 2024 with ePlus and Vertiv. This cutting-edge facility is designed to accelerate the delivery of AI outcomes and optimise AI technologies. The AI Experience Centre provides a dedicated space to explore AI-centric use cases while leveraging cutting-edge AI-focused infrastructure requirements such as power, cooling, and advanced GPU resources, in addition to exploring cloud, edge, and colocation connectivity requirements of real-world AI deployments.
Digital Realty’s Northern Virginia campus is the primary DRIL location, but enterprises can also test latency scenarios between this site and other remote locations. This capability allows businesses to refine cloud connectivity with ServiceFabric, ensuring optimal performance across multiple sites. Rollout of the DRIL to other global occasions is already in progress, with London being the next to go live in early 2026.
