Ubitus Migrated Its Cloud Gaming Environment to AWS, Maximizing Cost Efficiency by Using IT Divest to Recycle IT Assets

Ubitus has GPU virtualization and online streaming technology. It provides major game companies, distribution platforms, and telecommunications carriers with cloud game environments such as console games, PC games, and mobile games. In recent years, the company has provided streaming services not only for gaming but also for industries such as real estate, sports, fashion, and the metaverse.Ubitus previously operated services for the Japanese market in its on-premises data center environment, but it decided to migrate to the cloud for reasons including peak access support and aging of equipment.

“The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for people from home and abroad to come and go, and it delayed parts supplies, such as semiconductors. We had an issue with data center and equipment maintenance. Also, when developing business in North America, Europe, and Asia, it was difficult to provide high-quality services using only local data centers. I thought it was necessary to build an environment that could support global use,” says CEO of Ubitus, Wesley Kuo.

Ubitus was consulting with AWS about building an environment to meet global business demand, starting with game companies. A recurring issue was how to dispose of equipment that was no longer needed. With on-premises infrastructure, hardware and software must be replaced within a fixed period. Moving to a cloud environment would reduce the burden of equipment replacements, but at the time of migration, the company would have had to dispose of equipment that had to be used until then.

AWS representatives proposed Ubitus use the IT Divest service. With IT Divest, AWS Partners support the purchase, removal, and recycling of IT equipment, as well as environmentally friendly disposal. The company would get a great benefit from this offering because it provides a complete service from workload migration to the AWS environment to dispose of old equipment, and company senior leadership immediately began discussing how to use it. “Using IT Divest, we were able to complete everything from migration to AWS to disposal of old equipment in 4 weeks. It was a huge benefit for us to be able to deliver high-quality services globally through the cloud,” says Kuo.

A decisive factor in adopting AWS was the breadth of regions that AWS covers, including the United States, Asia, and Europe. “As our company develops a global business centered around gaming, we wanted to choose the best cloud provider for us. The regions covered by AWS are also the main markets where we develop our business. Additionally, AWS is continuously investing in advanced technology, such as the latest GPUs, which are essential for gaming,” says Kuo. The company has built a close relationship to AWS, such as participating as an alpha tester before new AWS gaming-related products are announced.

In the cloud gaming solution provided by Ubitus, games are run in a virtualized environment on a server, and the content is streamed to the user devices through the Internet. To provide high-quality images and operation, the company has adopted AWS Local Zones in North America, which helps computing to run from servers located as close as possible to end users. Kuo says, “We are putting effort into improving the environment so that users can use it smoothly with minimal delay from nearly any device. Because of AWS Local Zones, users from all over the world can now connect from the AWS server closest to each region.” 

The benefits of migrating to AWS are showing up in cases where end-user access is rapidly increasing. Considering the delay of supply of CPUs, GPUs, and memory due to the recent shortage of semiconductors, it would have been extremely difficult to increase capacity in an on-premises environment. “As a leader in the cloud industry, AWS infrastructure provides a full set of necessary tools, which is a big benefit for us to be able to quickly increase capacity,” says Kuo. 

The migration to an AWS environment has also helped the company reduce costs and mitigate environmental impact. Ubitus estimates that it achieved more than 10 percent in cost reduction compared to the on-premises environment. It has also reduced power consumption since the company no longer has its own servers. “We are also making efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, so we feel that moving to AWS is beneficial in terms of considering the environment and achieving the environmental, social, and governance goals,” says Kuo. 

Ubitus has also experienced changes in the work environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was recommended out of concern for risk of infection. By transitioning the data centers to the cloud, many of Ubitus employees could work from home or nearby offices, improving work productivity by having a more flexible work environment.

Furthermore, as Ubitus develops business globally, its usage of AWS services brings business benefits in terms of collaboration with gaming companies that also want to expand their business to overseas markets. Kuo says, “As a cloud provider, AWS is recognized around the world. By adopting AWS as infrastructure, the company can gain a lot of trust from customers in all regions. Customers from Japanese game-makers have also appreciated our use of AWS.”

Ubitus has continued to receive support from the AWS team. In addition to handling daily contacts and support, AWS also conducts monthly and quarterly reviews with stakeholders from both parties to discuss goals and improvements. “We’ve been assigned a dedicated contact person, so if there are any questions or issues, we immediately consult with them,” says Kuo. “It is helpful to receive responses in near real time. I also receive important announcements, such as those about new services. So I can say that we have a very good relationship.”

Along with improving the quality of cloud games going forward, Ubitus will also focus on solutions for the metaverse. Additionally, the company is actively using AWS technology for new businesses. “We gave a concert in a metaverse program with one of our clients. We also supported online fashion shows for a European fashion brand, which was also run in our AWS environment,” says Kuo.

Furthermore, Ubitus is considering providing packaged solutions that integrate AWS services to reach various industries through the AWS Marketplace, where customers can find, buy, deploy, and manage software solutions. “We are considering providing our metaverse solutions through the AWS Marketplace. By working alongside AWS, we can expect sales from all countries, regions, and industries, so we’re really looking forward to this new collaboration,” says Kuo.