Shonan iPark Demonstrates Performance of Secure Data Processing Infrastructure Supporting AI Drug Discovery

・Jointly conducted demonstration experiment with NTT Group to enable secure remote access to high-performance GPUs essential for AI drug discovery.

・Confirmed that multiple companies and research institutions can perform AI analysis through the shared infrastructure without moving data outside their premises.

・A significant step towards Shonan iPark's goal of establishing an AI drug discovery ecosystem and a collaborative research hub.

Shonan iPark Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, President: Toshio Fujimoto, hereinafter "iPark Institute") has jointly conducted a demonstration experiment with NTT Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Akira Shimada, hereinafter "NTT") and NTT Docomo Business, Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Katsushige Kojima, hereinafter "Docomo Business") to test a next-generation computing environment for the "secure utilization of research data," which is crucial for AI drug discovery and life science research, and has confirmed its effectiveness.

The demonstration established an environment where high-performance GPUs can be securely accessed remotely while keeping research data within the research institution's premises. This demonstrated the feasibility of balancing the large-scale computational power essential for AI drug discovery with advanced data protection.

1. Press release at the start of the joint demonstration experiment for remote GPU computing power provision.

1. Background

In recent years, the drug discovery landscape has entered a major transitional phase due to advancements in AI technology. AI is increasingly being utilized in many research areas, including the search for new drug candidates, protein analysis, and clinical data analysis, accelerating the efficiency and sophistication of the entire drug discovery process. However, research data is highly confidential, making the establishment of secure data processing and computing environments an urgent priority.

This demonstration experiment verified the feasibility of a shared research environment within Shonan iPark, which brings together diverse entities such as domestic and international pharmaceutical companies, startups, academia, and medical institutions, rather than a single company.

2. Overview of the Demonstration Experiment

In this experiment, Shonan iPark was connected to an external data center via a high-speed network, and an environment was built to enable AI learning and analysis using high-performance GPUs while keeping research data within Shonan iPark's premises.

As a result, it was demonstrated that:

- AI learning and analysis can be performed without storing research data externally. - A practical computing infrastructure can be secured while maintaining advanced security measures. - It can be developed into a shared infrastructure available to multiple companies and research institutions.

This confirmed that an environment can be realized where companies and research institutions handling highly confidential data can safely utilize advanced computing resources.

Figure 1 (Created by NTT): Conventional remote GPU utilization and the remote GPU utilization aimed for in this demonstration.

3. Advanced Technologies Supporting the Demonstration Experiment

This demonstration experiment was made possible by combining the next-generation communication and security technologies being developed by the NTT Group with the life science research environment possessed by Shonan iPark.

Specifically, a remote GPU utilization environment capable of safely handling research data was constructed by utilizing IOWN APN technology for high-speed, high-capacity communication, confidential computing technology to protect data during computation, and quantum-resistant cryptography technology, which also looks ahead to the future quantum computing era.

Toshio Fujimoto, President of iPark Institute, commented as follows:

"With the advancement of AI drug discovery technology, research sites are demanding more sophisticated computational resources and secure data utilization environments than ever before. This demonstration shows that the underlying technologies supporting future research environments are achievable. We view AI drug discovery not just as a technological innovation, but as a paradigm shift in drug discovery. Shonan iPark will continue to contribute to the establishment of an ecosystem where diverse companies and research institutions collaborate to create new value by advancing the development of its foundational environment."

About Shonan iPark Co., Ltd.

Shonan iPark Co., Ltd. commenced operations in April 2023, with major shareholders including Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. (IIF), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and Mitsubishi Corporation. In 2023, it took over the operation of Shonan Health Innovation Park (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, abbreviated as Shonan iPark), which had been managed by Takeda since 2018. In addition to facility operation and management, the company engages in activities to promote innovation and foster technological exchange and research collaboration, thereby building and revitalizing the life science ecosystem. For more detailed information about our company, please click here.

About Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark)

Shonan iPark is Japan's first pharmaceutical company-initiated science park, established in April 2018 when Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited opened its research facilities to the outside. It is currently operated by iPark Institute Co., Ltd., independent from Takeda. The park aims to be a place that accelerates health innovation by bringing together industry, government, and academia from a wide range of business sectors and scales. Currently, approximately 220 companies in pharmaceuticals, next-generation medicine, cellular agriculture, AI, and government, as well as other organizations, are gathered, with approximately 3,500 people (as of July 2026) forming a life science ecosystem.

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