Singtel has unveiled a new initiative aimed at propelling AI development in Singapore and the broader region. In a strategic move, the company is partnering with both global and local ecosystem collaborators across AI, renewable energy, sustainable technologies, and talent development. This aligns with Singtel's concurrent expansion of its regional data center business beyond Singapore, to new markets like Indonesia and Thailand where a new generation of green, sustainable and hyper-connected AI-ready data centers are in the pipeline.
During the unveiling of Singtel's latest data center brand, Nxera, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Heng Swee Keat, attended the event as the guest of honor.
Four Key Strategic Memoranda of Understanding
The initiative revolves around four key strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). These include partnering with NVIDIA to facilitate AI adoption in Singapore and the surrounding region. Additionally, the initiative aims to leverage the renewable energy knowledge of Gulf Energy, Medco Power, Sembcorp, and TNB Renewables to expedite Nxera's transition towards achieving net-zero emissions. Another aspect involves establishing a co-innovation platform with technology partners to enhance power and water efficiency, as well as operational resilience. Lastly, the initiative aims to establish a Regional Sustainable Data Centre Academy in collaboration with five institutes of higher learning. This academy will annually train over 150 students to support Nxera's data centre business, its ecosystem partners, and the broader industry . Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information witnessed the signing of all these Memoranda of Understanding at the event.
“The launch of the Nxera data center brand is a key milestone for our data center business as we look to expand our footprint in the region beyond 200MW over the next three years. As we build out our data center business, we are putting in place a purpose-driven, fully- aligned group of ecosystem partners with distinctive capabilities and unique platforms that will help us grow this digital infrastructure in an AI world sustainably and responsibly. This means democratizing AI access for enterprises, introducing renewable energy and sustainable technologies, and helping produce the talent for our new generation of data centers,” said Bill Chang, CEO of Nxera and Singtel's Digital InfraCo unit. “ Digitalization shouldn’t come at the expense of our decarbonization efforts; i n fact, it should accelerate our efforts. Given our aim to achieve operational net-zero emissions for our data center business by 2028, these partnerships are critical to laying the groundwork for turning digitalization into a driver for decarbonization. Of course, we are also doing our utmost to support the Singapore government’s recently- announced National AI Strategy 2.0 and G reen ICT agenda.”
Advancing AI Development, Sustainability, and Talent Development in Singapore
Singtel's key initiatives encompass a comprehensive approach to advancing AI development, sustainability, and talent development in Singapore and the region. In collaboration with NVIDIA, Singtel's Digital InfraCo unit is actively supporting Singapore's National AI Strategy 2.0. As a NVIDIA cloud partner, Singtel aims to democratize AI access for enterprises, enabling them to leverage NVIDIA GPU clusters hosted in Nxera's AI d ata c enter platform. This initiative provides customers with carrier neutrality, ensuring connectivity resiliency through Singtel's extensive fixed broadband network, submarine cables, and 5G high-speed network connectivity.
To achieve operational net-zero emissions by 2028, Nxera has joined leading energy players such as Sembcorp, Gulf Energy, Medco Power, and TNB Renewables to tap into their renewable energy initiatives.
Nxera's commitment to sustainability extends to test-bedding innovative solutions, including achieving the lowest PUE and highest water usage efficiency. Through a co-innovation platform with partners like Deston, SGP Global, QCT, Shell, Stulz, and Supermicro, Nxera aims to develop and implement advanced cooling technologies and water-saving solutions.
Integrating a Smart IoT and Digital Twin Platform
Additionally, Nxera plans to integrate a smart IoT and digital twin platform in collaboration with Red Dot Analytics to enhance overall energy efficiency and operational resiliency in its data center operations. In addition, a Regional Sustainable Data Centre Academy is set to launch in mid-2024 to addresses the talent shortage in the rapidly growing data center industry, offering training programs focused on sustainability and high-density AI environments.
“As an industry leader, we are developing a sustainable data center talent pipeline to power our growth in the region. It will augment and strengthen our long-standing expertise in designing, developing and operating data centers as we aim to make Nxera a trusted data center brand that is future-proofed; one that provides excellent interconnectivity, efficiency, and resiliency with high power density, while remaining sustainable,” Chang added.
