Question

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the existing number and capacity in megawatts (MW) of data centres in Singapore; (b) whether the Government has concluded its review on the data centre industry; (c) if so, what are the Government’s expectation and limits for future growth in number and capacity; and (d) what measures are put in place to manage the resource footprint of the data centre industry in
Singapore.

Written answer by Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1. As of 2021, there are more than 70 operational data centres (DCs) in Singapore with a total available IT capacity of about 1,000 megawatts (MW).

2. The Government embarked on a review of the DC industry in 2019, and had engaged the industry in the process. This review was necessary because while DCs are important enablers for the digital economy, they are also intensive users of resources, and we had to find a way to manage the growth of DCs in a sustainable manner consistent with our climate change commitments.

3. This review was recently completed. EDB and IMDA will engage the industry soon to share more details and seek their feedback. While we continue to welcome DC investments, we intend to be more selective of which DCs we can accommodate. In particular, we seek to anchor DCs that are best in class in terms of resource efficiency, which can contribute towards Singapore’s economic and strategic objectives. We will also put in place measures to raise the efficiency of existing DCs over time.

1 For example, the Green Mark for Data Centres certification scheme, the Resource Efficiency Grant for Energy, and the Investment Allowance for Emissions Reduction.