Punggol to be 'living lab' for smart concepts, cybersecurity solutions

PUNGGOL will serve as a testbed for new smart concepts progressively from 2023 in the areas of living, working and service delivery, said a joint statement from JTC and the Prime Minister's Office's Smart Nation and Digital Government Office on Friday.

The Punggol Digital District (PDD), which is part of Punggol town, will house 210,000 square metres of business park and mixed-use spaces available from 2023. It will be a "living lab" for cybersecurity, smart living and smart estate solutions, the statement added.

The business park is masterplanned and developed by JTC and has entered its first phase of development with the groundbreaking of the PDD on Friday.

Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) campus will be co-located in the business park buildings in the digital district for more opportunities to collaborate between businesses, public agencies and young talents.

In addition to the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), the Association of Information Security Professionals has also expressed interest to relocate its operations to the PDD in 2023.

The PDD will offer the Open Digital Platform (ODP) to businesses. ODP is a smart-city platform co-developed by ST Engineering, JTC, the Government Technology Agency, the CSA, and the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

The platform will allow businesses and SIT students to use district-level data to create digital applications from 2023. Rapid prototyping and deployment of technology solutions will enable cost savings and more operational efficiency, the statement said.

PDD aims to be 30 per cent more energy-efficient than standard commercial buildings, and have zero water wastage eco-ponds to collect rainwater for irrigation and reuse as non-potable water. PDD is also looking to achieve food and horticulture waste recycling into fertiliser.

Trials conducted in Punggol - which has been designated a "strategic national project" for Smart Nation - will help guide the development of future towns and districts like Tengah and Jurong Lake. They will also guide the redevelopment of existing towns across Singapore.