Advanced Computing in the Age of AI | Friday, March 29, 2024

Data Centers go Green in Singapore 

Energy efficient data centers have been cropping up all over Europe the last few years. Now, the boom has come to Singapore, and with it the need to make data centers as energy efficient as possible. To meet this need, Singapore has created a new standard for green data center design, which has begun taking new data centers into consideration.

Energy efficient data centers have been cropping up all over Europe the last few years. Now, the boom has come to Singapore, and with it the need to make data centers as energy efficient as possible. To meet this need, Singapore has created a new standard for green data center design, which has begun taking new data centers into consideration.

Launched in Octoer 2012, the Infocomm Development Authority and Building and Construction Authority (BCA-IDA) used to only pertain to data centers occupying purpose-built buildings or were part of a larger building. A large data center in Singapore consumes so much energy it’s equivalent to an unbelievable 10,000 households. With 20 of these large data centers in Singapore already and the commercial data center capacity forecast expected to rise 51 percent by 2015, the time to implement new standards and become as efficient as possible is now.

"Data Centers can improve their cost-competitiveness by reducing overall energy use, as the energy bill makes up a significant portion of their operating budget,” said Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive & Director-General of IDA. “Those who can achieve the highest rating under this Green Mark can potentially reap energy savings of at least 30%."

The BCA-IDA, an extension of the BCA Green Mark for buildings that began in 2005, now tries to persuade data centers to consider energy efficient design, technologies and systems during the planning and design phase.

Some data centers have already achieved the BCA-IDA Green Mark Award, including Abbott Laboratories Singapore. Their data center received the award in recognition of their efforts to optimize performance. Once the data center is up and running, it’s expected to save more than one million kilowatt hours annually.

"The data center market is set to grow rapidly in the next few years and this represents many opportunities for companies to step forward not only to do their part for the environment, but also to realize cost savings for their business,” said Dr. John Keung, BCA CEO.

“Aside from cost savings, green data centers may also open up market opportunities through increased credibility and recognition by clients for their environment-friendly initiatives.”

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