At least two data centre operators looking to expand capacity in S’pore under green pilot

SINGAPORE - At least two data centre operators are looking to expand capacity in Singapore under new criteria drawn up by the local authorities

to manage the sector’s carbon footprint

in July.

They are United States-based Digital Realty and Equinix, among the largest in the world. Both firms have confirmed with The Straits Times that they have made submissions to the local authorities to expand their current capacity.

Digital Realty, which has three data centres under its belt here, is gunning for approval of a new data centre with up to 60 megawatts (MW) of capacity, said senior vice-president David Lucey.

Equinix completed a US$86 million (S$117 million) expansion of its fifth data centre in Singapore this April.

Applications for new data centre developments reopened in July and closed on Nov 21, after Singapore lifted a moratorium issued in 2019 to pause the release of land for data centre use. 

During the moratorium, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) drew up new criteria, under a pilot, on greener methods of operation to reduce harms on the environment.

Under this pilot, operators of new data centres need to use sustainable energy and more efficient cooling methods, and ensure a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of at least 1.3. 

PUE is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data centre. The closer the PUE is to one, the more efficient the data centre is.

The authorities here said that although there is no limit to the number of applicants that will be accepted under the pilot, the total capacity allocated is expected to be around 60MW.

Data centres are vital for the Internet and its applications, providing functions such as storage of digital files and transferring of data online. However, they are also big energy guzzlers, powering servers and keeping them cool.

“Given the depth of customer demand and the size and scale of our global platform, we believe we can comfortably support development of the entire 60MW,” Mr Lucey said. 

To ensure green operations, Digital Realty plans to use modular Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems, turbine generators, lithium-ion batteries and solar rooftops. 

A UPS is critical in a data centre as it provides emergency power when its original power source fails. A modular design allows the UPS to be more energy efficient and smaller – an important consideration for data centres here where floor space is a huge premium. 

Unlike fossil fuels which add to carbon emissions, newer sources of power such as lithium-ion batteries – which are already used in laptops and electric vehicles – can draw and store power from renewable sources such as solar or wind.

Digital Realty has also partnered with CoolestDC, a spin-off from the National University of Singapore, to take advantage of new cooling solutions to improve data centre efficiency. 

CoolestDC’s hybrid cooling technology circulates liquid through pipes to a network of cold plates connected to a server chassis.

This helped the company gain insights on how to configure existing air cooled data centres to accommodate liquid cooling. 

The technology has been piloted at Digital Realty’s newest data centre in Loyang and can be easily implemented in all its existing air-cooled data centres.

“We expect to see growing customer adoption of this technology as power density requirements increase, particularly for power-intensive applications like artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Mr Lucey said. 

Equinix, which is currently piloting hydrogen-ready fuel cell technology in Italy, has plans to expand the use of these fuel cells to its global network if the pilot is successful. 

Hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative to burning fossil fuels in a cleaner manner. A fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity through a chemical process which generates three products: electricity, heat and water. 

Equinix is also piloting the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil – liquid fuel capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent compared with diesel. 

“All our Singapore data centres incorporate innovative technologies to enhance efficiencies and are powered completely by renewable energy,” said Ms Leong Yee May, managing director of Equinix South Asia.

The company’s data centres here collectively take up over 632,500 sq ft of space, serving more than 875 companies in Singapore. 

“While data centres provide the foundation that powers Singapore’s expanding digital economy and smart nation aspirations, industry players have the responsibility to ensure that digital transformation is done in a sustainable way,” Ms Leong said.