Digital Realty Debuts Innovation Lab for AI, Hybrid Cloud Testing

Digital Realty, a global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions, has launched the Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL). This dedicated data center testing environment allows partners and customers to bring their own workloads to validate AI and hybrid cloud before full-scale deployment.

Low-risk testing geared toward innovation

The DRIL will enable customers to configure new workloads in a lab environment for validation and optimization, while collaborating with Digital Realty to replicate a representative architecture. According to the company, this provides realistic, low-risk testing without affecting production systems.

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.

“Innovation isn’t optional – it’s a competitive requirement in a world where data volumes and AI adoption are accelerating,” said Sharp. “Yet many enterprises still deploy complex infrastructure without the ability to test, validate, or optimize 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,” he added.

Digital Realty’s DRIL is located within a live colocation data center at the company’s Northern Virginia campus.

What the Innovation Lab delivers

The innovation lab is designed to eliminate guesswork, providing businesses with a controlled environment to test performance, optimize configurations, and connect with cloud and network providers through ServiceFabric, Digital Realty’s interconnection and orchestration platform.

Below are DRIL’s key capabilities:

• High-Density AI and HPC testing: Supports AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads with high-density colocation, accommodating workloads up to 150kW per cabinet.
• AI infrastructure optimization: Through the ePlus AI Experience Center, businesses can explore AI-specific power, cooling, and GPU resource requirements in an environment optimized for AI infrastructure.
• Hybrid cloud validation: Provides direct cloud connectivity, allowing enterprises to refine hybrid strategies and onboard with Service Fabric through cross-connects.
• AI workload orchestration: Enables customers to orchestrate AI workloads across Digital Realty’s Private AI Exchange (AIPx), ensuring seamless integration and performance.
• Latency testing across locations: Allows enterprises to test latency scenarios to ensure seamless performance across multiple locations as well as cloud destinations.

According to Digital Realty, its Northern Virginia campus serves as the primary DRIL location. However, enterprises can also test latency scenarios between the main campus and remote sites using Service Fabric. The company added that rollout of the DRIL to other locations is underway, with London slated to go live in early 2026.

Digital Realty has partnered with cloud infrastructure company Vultr to deliver GPU-accelerated AI infrastructure worldwide. Read more about the collaboration and what it means for enterprises in the AI era.