MCI's response to PQ on advancements in Data Centre efficiency by Singapore companies

Parliament Sitting on 2 July 2024

QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

*59. Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what specific breakthroughs or advancements in data centre efficiency, liquid cooling, and tropical operations have been achieved by Singapore companies and research institutes during the 2019-2022 moratorium period; (b) how these innovations compare to the state-of-the-art globally; and (c) whether any of these innovations have been commercially implemented at scale locally or internationally.

Answer:

Data centres (DCs) are foundational to Singapore’s digital economy. However, they are intensive users of electricity and water. The three-year pause in the growth of the DC industry was imposed to study how this growth could be managed sustainably, in line with our international climate commitments.

During this pause, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and the Singapore Economic Development Board , consulted the industry and end-users extensively on ways to grow our DC sector sustainably through best-in-class and energy-efficient DCs. One key approach was the pilot DC-Call for Application (or DC-CFA) in 2022 to invite proposals for sustainable DCs. The four DC operators that were awarded capacity in the call have committed to building new DCs with innovations such as liquid cooling and the use of energy-efficient IT equipment.

In addition to the DC-CFA, we are developing new standards to shift existing and new DCs towards greener operations. These include the world’s first Tropical DC standard, which enables DCs in Singapore and other similar climates to operate safely at higher temperatures, and thus reduce the energy needed for cooling. This new standard complements global industry best practices, which are already adopted by many DCs locally.

To ensure that Singapore remains at the forefront of DC sustainability, IMDA recently released the Green DC Roadmap, which outlines the Government’s plans to work with the industry to pioneer solutions for greater energy efficiency at the hardware and software levels, as well as to accelerate the use of green energy.