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Awards of new data centre capacity signal search for fresh ideas to benefit Singapore economy: market watchers

Yong Jun Yuan
Published Wed, Jul 19, 2023 · 05:00 AM
    • Data centre operators will need to do more to prove that they can bring greater benefits to the Singapore economy amid a competitive field.
    • Data centre operators will need to do more to prove that they can bring greater benefits to the Singapore economy amid a competitive field. PHOTO: REUTERS

    THE Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) have put the data centre industry on notice with their choice of operators allowed to grow capacity, market watchers said.

    The picks show a focus on value and a search for fresh ideas and unique capabilities that benefit the Singapore economy, including artificial intelligence (AI).

    Last Friday (Jul 14), IMDA and EDB announced that four parties would be allowed a combined 80 megawatts (MW) of new data centre capacity: data centre operators GDS and Equinix, a consortium comprising data centre specialist AirTrunk and TikTok-owner ByteDance, and software giant Microsoft.

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