Part of disused Kobe tunnel featured in 'Death Note' to become data center
KOBE -- The Kobe Municipal Government will lease about 3 kilometers of a massive disused tunnel in the mountains of Nishi Ward in this west Japan city
Kobe City plans to lease around 3 kilometers of an unused tunnel from the mountains in Nishi Ward for use as a data center. The tunnel, closed for 21 years, has been utilized as a filming location due to its "secret base" ambiance. Its qualities make it suitable for data centers, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence.
Constructed in 1964 to transport soil from a mountainous area to Suma Ward for land reclamation, the tunnel transported around 570 million metric tons of soil between 1964 and 2005. After operations ceased, approximately 7 kilometers of the 14.5-kilometer tunnel were preserved. A proposal to lease a 3-kilometer stretch, equivalent to about 17,000 square meters, was received.
The successful bidder, consisting of Tokyo-based Mitsui Fudosan Co., paid about 7.6 million yen annually for rent. This marks Japan's first commercial data center in an existing tunnel. The site is chosen for its size, location, and other factors. With temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year, the underground tunnel remains cool, offering natural cooling for data centers.
It is also easy to protect against unauthorized access and has proven resilient to earthquakes, as it moved with the ground during the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. The former tunnel's wine cellar and university research site will continue to be utilized, while the remaining portions will remain available for filming.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
