How Singapore can chart a blueprint for global data centre sustainability
THE data landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation, with global Internet traffic soaring 20-fold since 2010. This exponential surge, fuelled by the rapid advancements in generative AI and the escalating demands of online activities, has catapulted data centres into the spotlight as this mission-critical infrastructure has begun to strain under the pressure of supporting our interconnected, increasingly digital world.
The challenge is particularly acute in Singapore, where an estimated 96.9 per cent of the population is connected to the Internet, creating a pressing need for robust data infrastructure that can keep pace with the country’s economic growth. However, this growth can have environmental costs; data centres accounted for 240-340 TWh of global electricity consumption in 2022, or around 1-1.3 per cent of global final electricity demand. This consumption is even more significant in Singapore, where 7 per cent of total electricity consumption in 2021 was consumed by the country’s then over 70 data centres, a number that has since grown to over 86 in 2023.
Consequently, data centres face a challenging predicament – the need to scale up to accommodate higher IT loads while also ensuring compliance with sustainability requirements set forth by governments like Singapore’s. Given the amount of energy these facilities already consume, and consequently, the carbon equivalent emissions they produce, this is no simple task. To keep pace with evolving technological demands and get on-track for the global “net zero by 2050” scenario, data centre operators must strategically plan how they will expand sustainably beyond just incorporating stopgap measures.
Harnessing cutting-edge innovations in cooling and power will be essential to enable data centres to increase their capacity while cutting their resource consumption and emissions. This is where Singapore’s stringent criteria for data centres may have a silver lining. By driving a proactive embrace of these technologies to enable compliance with the country’s regulations, the local sector has the potential to achieve the 50 per cent drop in emissions by 2030 required to align with the net zero scenario, while paving the way for AI readiness. Achieving this dual feat would effectively future-proof this key sector for Singapore and establish a blueprint for the next generation of low-carbon data centres worldwide.
Designing for low-carbon data centres
Creating low-carbon data centres necessitates a holistic strategy, one that begins with redefining the very core of their design. And Singapore is currently well on this path; in response to the urgent need for sustainable expansion, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced their Data Centre – Call for Application (DC-CFA) initiative, awarding about 80 MW of new capacity to four data centre operators. These awarded proposals placed significant emphasis on energy efficiency, decarbonisation, and the adoption of eco-friendly technologies. Importantly, they met the rigorous standards of Green Mark DC Platinum Certification, guaranteeing a superior level of energy-efficient performance.
However, while substantial progress has been made in Singapore’s journey towards a sustainable digital future, there is still room for further improvement. Bridging the gap between the current state of the data centre industry and its ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality requires continuous innovation and commitment.
This transformation begins at the heart of data centres – in their cooling systems. Traditionally, these systems have been notorious energy guzzlers, accounting for up to 40 per cent of a facility’s total power consumption. Cooling becomes even more challenging in places such as Singapore, with year-round hot, humid climates.
Drastic challenges call for drastic measures, and that is just what some might consider immersion cooling. Representing a bold departure from conventional methods, immersion cooling involves submerging IT equipment in specially designed, non-conductive liquids. Data centres can drastically reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact with this less conventional approach. While the concept of submerging servers in liquid might seem radical, it can translate to around a 50 per cent increase in cooling efficiency for the IT load, revolutionising the way data centres operate. Crucially, immersion cooling also addresses another critical issue for data centres – namely, water consumption. Research estimates that data centres worldwide consume over a billion litres of water daily. With immersion cooling, a data centre can reduce its water needs by up to 90 per cent.
Beyond the immediate efficiency gains, immersion cooling also enables data centres to pack more computing power into less space, which can translate into space savings of up to 75 per cent for a facility. This is because immersion cooling allows data centres to operate at higher rack server densities without sacrificing performance or reliability. One example of this is the LiquidStack immersion-cooled hyperscale data centre in the Eastern European country Georgia, which achieved a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.06 – making it among the most efficient data centres in the world – on top of reducing its floor space requirements by 90 per cent compared to traditional data centres.
This is particularly critical in accommodating AI workloads, which will require much larger amounts of computing power. The increased server density that immersion cooling enables can be used to upscale a data centre’s capacity without increasing the size of the facility housing it, which will be a game-changer in adapting to the growing computing power required to meet the demands of AI services. Immersion cooling can hence effectively future-proof today’s data centre facilities. This is especially important in land-scarce countries such as Singapore, where space is at a premium.
Without a doubt, challenges lie ahead, including mindset barriers, upfront investment hurdles, and technological adaptation leaps. However, overcoming initial scepticism, immersion cooling is becoming one of the cornerstones of data centres’ eco-friendly evolution. Embracing such cutting-edge technology aligns with Singapore’s commitment to being a digital leader in the global arena, and could help it maintain its place as the largest hub for data centres in South-east Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region for years to come.
Moreover, Singapore is well-positioned to tackle such challenges. The National Climate Change Secretariat’s Green Data Centre Technology Roadmap, which includes an exploration of the potential implementation of immersion cooling technologies, serves as a testament to the country’s proactive stance to creating low-carbon data centres. And organisations such as ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, Schneider Electric and Iceotope have been pursuing an immersion liquid cooling proof-of-concept in Singapore since 2022.
Powering data centres more sustainably
Beyond cooling solutions, another fundamental aspect in reducing data centres’ carbon footprints is addressing their power supply. Data centres cannot simply focus on ensuring their power supply is affordable and reliable, but must also aim to decarbonise their energy mix as much as possible, to align with long-term environmental goals.
Currently, about 96 per cent of Singapore’s electricity is generated from natural gas. Although natural gas is relatively clean for a fossil fuel – given its lower carbon emissions per unit of electricity produced – to maximise decarbonisation efforts even more, sustainable energy sources must be incorporated into data centre energy supplies.
Embracing renewable energy options such as solar power can help. By harnessing solar energy, data centres can decrease their grid reliance and emissions. Solar power purchase agreements (PPAs and virtual PPAs) will play a pivotal role in enabling solar adoption, allowing data centre operators to competitively source renewable energy even when on-site space for implementation is limited or unavailable.
Beyond solar power, new, innovative, low-carbon alternative energy sources are emerging. For example, hydronated vegetable oil (HVO) – which presents a renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic substitute for diesel – is being used to power generators. Additionally, the exploration of hydrogen fuel cells as backup power sources is being pursued with an eye to “future-proof” against evolving low-carbon energy requirements, further supporting the industry’s commitment to sustainable practices.
As Singapore strides towards its aspirations of becoming a world-class, technology-driven Smart Nation, its data centres will form the bedrock for these ambitions. In this era of digital expansion, where technology profoundly influences how people live, work, and play, the imperative goes beyond addressing current demands. It demands the proactive future-proofing of data centres to ensure they keep pace with the evolving digital landscape.
The path ahead for low-carbon data centres demands a comprehensive approach. This will involve energy-efficient design, facilitated by cutting-edge technologies such as immersion cooling, coupled with an increasing pivot towards sustainable power supply sources. By embracing these strategies, Singapore can ensure its data centres meet not only today’s demands but tomorrow’s aspirations, while blazing a path for best practices in sustainability that the global industry can follow.
The writer is head of business development (data centres) at ENGIE South East Asia
