Can Singapore remake itself as the leader in sustainable data centres?
Can it once again work a miracle to overcome its limitations?
Can Singapore work a miracle again to overcome its limitations - and become a leader in sustainable data centers?
I wrote about Singapore's quest for sustainable data centres in W.Media's October edition of the Cloud & Datacenters magazine.
Here's an overview.
Sustainability is a challenge for all
Did you know: The 1,400MW of data centres in Singapore makes it one of the densest data centre hubs globally - whether by GDP, land area, or population.
With limited renewables, there is no way Singapore can allow the unchecked construction of new data centres.
And while Singapore ran up against this barrier first, everyone will eventually face the constraints imposed by sustainability - it's simply a matter of time.
Singapore can do it again
Singapore has a strategy: It wants to master sustainable data centres - and help others to do the same.
In public speeches, Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary had pointed to how Singapore transformed from one of the most water-stressed nations to one with significant water resilience.
The message? Singapore has done the impossible before and stand ready to do it again. This time, it'll be with data centres.
What of old data centres
What about older data centres? As I wrote yesterday about TM Global's data centre upgrade, some data centre operators find themselves severely constrained by old facilities designed in a different era.
In fact, it might not make sense to upgrade the oldest facilities. And Singtel had said it will gradually decommission five of its oldest data centres in Singapore.
But is there room to retrofit or upgrade some data centres? Assuming it is feasible, what can we do to encourage upgrading?
I asked an IMDA director who conceded there is no clear answers or solutions, but that IMDA will work with the industry and data centre operators.
