Tech giant Digital Realty unveils Innovation Lab for trials in Artificial Intelligence and Hybrid Cloud technology testing
Digital Realty Unveils Innovation Lab for AI and Hybrid Cloud Testing
Digital Realty, a leading global provider of data centre, colocation, and interconnection solutions, has launched the Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) - a dedicated testing environment designed to help enterprises innovate with their AI and hybrid deployments. The rollout of the Innovation Lab to other locations, including London, is currently underway.
The DRIL, located within a live colocation data center at Digital Realty's Northern Virginia campus, provides a live, high-density environment where customers gain real-time, data-driven insights to fine-tune their deployments before scaling. Chris Sharp, chief technology officer at Digital Realty, described the DRIL as a way for enterprises to innovate with their AI and hybrid deployments freely.
The lab offers high-density AI and HPC testing, accommodating workloads up to 150kW per cabinet. It allows partners and customers to bring their own workloads for validation and optimization of AI and hybrid cloud before full-scale deployment. Hybrid cloud validation is possible with direct cloud connectivity in the Innovation Lab.
Customers can orchestrate AI workloads across Digital Realty's Private AI Exchange (AIPx) in the Innovation Lab. The lab also provides AI infrastructure optimization through the ePlus AI Experience Center. The DRIL enables customers to configure new workloads in a lab environment, collaborating with Digital Realty to replicate a representative architecture.
The lab allows enterprises to test latency scenarios across multiple locations and cloud destinations. Digital Realty's Northern Virginia campus serves as the primary Innovation Lab location, but enterprises can test latency scenarios between the main campus and remote sites using Service Fabric.
Digital Realty has partnered with cloud infrastructure company Vultr to deliver GPU-accelerated AI infrastructure worldwide. More details about the collaboration can be found in the AI era. The London Innovation Lab is expected to go live in early 2026, but the search results do not provide specific information about which cities Digital Realty will select in the future as locations for their Innovation Lab.
Sharp stated that innovation is a competitive requirement in a world where data volumes and AI adoption are accelerating. Many enterprises still deploy complex infrastructure without the ability to test, validate, or optimize in real-world conditions, according to Sharp. The DRIL, therefore, aims to help enterprises stay agile, reduce risk, and move faster from proof of concept to production.
The DRIL provides a realistic, low-risk testing environment that does not affect production systems. It offers a unique opportunity for enterprises to experiment with their AI and hybrid deployments, ensuring they are well-prepared for the future.
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