Data Centres

A closer look at Equinix's upcoming SG6 data centre

And its power purchase agreement, new co-innovation facility.

Paul Mah

Paul Mah

— 1 min read
A closer look at Equinix's upcoming SG6 data centre
Photo Credit: Equinix. Artist's rendition of SG6.

Equinix's SG6 is the face of a sustainable data centre, as Equinix partners with NUS to innovate on renewables, alternative power generation.

It has been a busy few weeks for Equinix in Singapore as they sent out a flurry of announcements around their latest data centre and new sustainability initiatives.

Here's what they are, and what they really mean.

Equinix SG6

I spoke with Yee May Leong and Gavin O'Reilly two weeks ago about their DC-CFA awarded data centre, where they talked about SG6's support for 100kW racks and other details not in the press release.

(Read "Equinix's highly sustainable SG6": https://lnkd.in/g3N_4cug)

However, the artistic illustration was only sent out a week later, which I've attached to this post.

I'd like to draw your attention to its:

  • Green facade.
  • Open corridors.
  • Well-ventilated stairwell.
  • Aggressive use of vertical solar panels.

When built, SG6 will tie with SG5 as the 2nd and 3rd tallest data centres in Singapore - and probably Southeast Asia.

Equinix announces PPA

Equinix has also signed its second renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) in Singapore with Sembcorp Power.

This will give Equinix an additional 58.5 MWp generated from 2029, from the following places:

  • Solar deployment on Jurong Island using vacant land.
  • Rooftops of five JTC buildings.
  • Jurong Rock Caverns.

In total, this will give Equinix will have a maximum of 133.5 MWp of renewable energy for its data centre portfolio in Singapore.

I'm less enthusiastic about PPAs in general. While necessary, they are "low-hanging fruits" so to speak.

Sustainability research

Equinix has also announced a plan to set up a Co-Innovation Facility (CIF) together with NUS CDE in Singapore with an initial investment of US$4 million.

The CIF is expected to accelerate the testing and development of innovative solutions around the follow for data centres:

  • Low-carbon energy.
  • High-efficiency cooling.
  • Circularity; energy efficient optimisation.

I find this interesting and will likely explore this further. The CIF will open in Q1 2027.

What do you think of Equinix's SG6 data centre?

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