Hello Reader,
This week, I decided to stop dithering and switch this weekly digest to a new template I've been eyeing. There are still areas to polish, but I hope you like what you see.
Today, let's take a closer look at Singapore's data centre strategy and its link to Jurong Island.
700MW data centre park
On Monday, JTC announced plans for low-carbon innovation on Jurong Island, Singapore's largest man-made island created by reclaiming seven smaller islands.
Interestingly, footnote iii of the press release contained nuggets of information we didn't know previously. Specifically, it noted that the plot shown to data centre operators over recent months can accommodate up to 700MW. And yes, it's a "low-carbon data centre park."
About 20 hectares of land on Jurong Island have also been set aside for the development of Singapore’s largest data centre park, with the potential to accommodate up to 700MW of power capacity for data centres. Operators can leverage the island’s ecosystem, such as shared energy storage infrastructure and utilities, ample power capacity as well as emerging low carbon energy sources. This is in line with the 2024 Green Data Centre Roadmap that was introduced for the continued growth of the digital economy in tandem with sustainability. New data centres will be required to meet efficiency standards, adopt advanced cooling systems, and tap green energy sources.
Predictably, at least one major publication spotted this and wrote that Singapore plans to build a 700MW data centre on Jurong Island. This caused considerable confusion among operators - IMDA had only announced 300MW previously, with 200MW floated internally for the next DC-CFA allocation.
From my queries, the numbers mentioned previously remain unchanged. Still, it's good to know the 20ha plot can support up to 700MW. And we now have official confirmation that Singapore's next data centre cluster will be on Jurong Island.
Jurong Island bet
Why Jurong Island? Several factors make it attractive: available land and a growing cluster of power plants. My back-of-envelope calculations suggest multiple gigawatts of power capacity in the years ahead.
More importantly, Jurong Island will anchor Singapore's transformation into a green energy hub. It will serve as a testbed for companies to trial and scale clean technology innovations, particularly hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia solutions.
Of course, there are several downsides to Jurong Island - I'll explore them another day.
As I wrote in my Substack piece last month, Singapore hasn't given up on data centre aspirations. It's focusing on building green energy infrastructure first, then unlocking sustainable data centre growth.
In a world increasingly constrained by power and carbon, whoever controls the ecosystem - the green energy supply, the efficiency standards, the operational expertise - holds the real cards.
For now, all eyes are on DC-CFA2, expected to kick off this month.
Content collaboration
I've finally assembled a rudimentary Content Collaboration page here. Would love feedback on it. If you're keen to collaborate, fill in the form and I'll get in touch.
Regards,
Paul Mah
