Pilot scheme to grow data centre capacity with renewable energy

Companies looking to set up data centres in Singapore must meet new criteria, including ensuring the use of sustainable energy and more efficient cooling methods as the country steps up plans to reduce carbon emission.

The criteria, drawn up by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) after six months of consultation with data centre operators, came into effect yesterday under a pilot run. Applicants that do not fulfil these criteria might be rejected.

This comes as Singapore strives to grow its data centre capacity in a consistent manner with its climate change commitments.

More data centres are needed to meet rising demand for digital applications. They are used by organisations to store, process and transmit large amounts of data, such as for cyber security, cloud computing and e-commerce.

This increased dependence on data centres has had negative effects on the environment. Traditional ones are carbon-, energy-and water-intensive, and greener methods of operation are needed.

"Data centres are important enablers of the digital economy," said IMDA and EDB in a joint statement. "However, data centres are also intensive users of resources like land, water and energy, contributing to our carbon footprint."

To better manage the growth of data centres, Singapore issued a moratorium in 2019 - pausing new developments and the release of more land for data centre use - to review its strategy. The review was completed in January.

The new criteria include having a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of at least 1.3. PUE measures the energy efficiency of a data centre. The closer the PUE is to 1, the more efficient the data centre is. The Straits Times understands that recently built data centres have a PUE of about 1.35, and newer ones are below 1.3.

Data centre operators are also expected to harness renewable energy sources or map out plans to invest in innovative technologies to offset carbon emissions.

Renewable energy sources include hydrogen, which does not produce green house gases when combusted, unlike fossil fuel. Operators can also propose newer cooling methods like immersive cooling, which uses far less energy and involves submerging hardware in special dielectric liquid that conducts heat but not electricity.

Applicants are expected to propose ways to strengthen Singapore's position as a data centre hub, and how new centres could contribute to the broader economy. There is no limit to how many applicants will be accepted, but the total capacity allocated is expected be about 60MW.

As at last year, there were more than 70 operational data centres in Singapore with a total available IT capacity of about 1,000MW, according to Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Applications will close on Nov 21, and the results will be announced early next year. More adjustments may be made after gleaning lessons from the pilot.

Associate Professor Lee Poh Seng, programme director of the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed in the National University of Singapore, said of the pilot: "It is a positive development.. it is an opportunity to break away from the business-as-usual way of doing things and prepare the industry for the future."