Set to be operational in 2026, ST Engineering’s new data centre in Jalan Boon Lay will be AI-ready. It is expected to support energy-guzzling artificial intelligence (AI) workloads in a sustainable and secure way.
With a capacity of 7.5MW, the new data centre will be able to accommodate high power density AI and graphics processing unit (GPU)-based in excess of 20KW per rack. It is also designed to ensure adaptability for future power-intensive AI workloads through partnerships with leading GPU industry players.
“This facility involves a capex of about $120 million over three years. With this addition, our total investment in the data centre business will exceed $400 million, providing over 30MW of IT capacity across four locations in Singapore,” says Vincent Chong, ST Engineering’s group president and CEO, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the data centre at Boon Lay today.
Supporting AI workloads sustainably
In terms of sustainability, the new data centre will operate at 26 degrees Celsius and support various cooling systems including liquid cooling, immersion cooling systems and ST Engineering’s proprietary Airbitat DC Cooling System.
The Airbitat DC Cooling System works by pre-cooling the hot return air in the data hall to reduce over 40% of the heat load from the existing chiller system. This significantly reduces the overall energy requirements for cooling by more than 20%.
See also: Younger consumers in Singapore more receptive towards AI agents
Moreover, the Airbitat DC Cooling System also does not generate waste heat into the environment as it does not use energy-intensive compressors or refrigerants. It also has lower water consumption requirements compared to conventional water-cooled chiller systems.
To offset the energy requirements of AI with green energy, the new data centre will install 2,400 sqm of vertical solar panels. “The East-facing side of the new seven-storey data centre will be larger than the rooftop so having solar panels there means we can get the most solar energy from a larger area,” Low Jin Phang, president of Digital Systems business at ST Engineering tells DigitalEdge.
Security and efficiency
See also: Nearly four in five Apac retailers will increase their tech investment in 2025
The upcoming data centre is also built for customers with physical cyber IT and OT security as a top priority.
Located within a gazetted zone, the new data centre offers multi-level security features and high levels of redundancy to ensure its integrity and protect customers’ information assets and intellectual property while continuing to meet the rigorous Green Mark Platinum Standards. It meets international standards, including ISO 27001 for cybersecurity to protect sensitive data assets and ISO 42001 for trustworthy and responsible AI development. It can also go beyond Tier 3 to meet TIA-942, Uptime, TVRA, and IM8 standards.
The new facility will also operate at a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25, which is well within the BCA-IMDA Green Market Platinum threshold standard of 1.3.
“This new facility sets new standards in security and sustainability, and we have received strong interest from customers who place priorities in these areas…such as government agencies, banks and healthcare organisations,” says Low.
ST Engineering, adds Low, plans to hire 100 professionals to support the facility management and operations for the data centre in Boon Lay. The new hires will be part of the 1,000 digital professionals the company plans to hire in the next five years to meet customer demand.
According to him, the data centre and cloud business are “high growth areas” for the company and will continue to “grow proportionately” in the future.
To address customers’ unique data centre needs, ST Engineering offers a comprehensive range of data centre services including design and build, hosting and managed services.
“We’ve incorporated flexibility into our design, enabling our customers to adapt in an ever-changing technological landscape. We can customise our offerings at the whole suite level, from security, cooling, power, to shielding. In fact, we have dedicated entire sections or floors within the new data centre to individual customers, enabling them to push the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in their data centre usage and requirements,” says Chong.
