Behind the silence: Singapore's data centre strategy

This year's ATxSummit came and went without new data centre announcements. Now what?

When I found out last week that there won't be any data centre-related announcements at ATxSummit, I was naturally disappointed.

Then someone pointed me to a report published this morning about an "apparent delay" in Singapore's data centre plans and "policy slowdown."

I disagree with this characterisation.

The delay that wasn't

First of all, there is no delay because a deadline was never specified beyond "in the near term." Believe me when I say I kept asking. But S'pore officials are very good at staying on message.

Anyway, here's some key events since 30 May when the Green Data Centre Roadmap and 300MW of data centre capacity were announced.

• (Oct 24) Green Mark for Data Centre (GMDC) 2024.
• (Jan 25) AI diffusion framework mooted.
• (Mar 25) GMDC 2024 goes into force.
• (Apr 25) US imposes global tariffs.
• (Apr 25) S'pore general elections called.
• (May 25) AI framework repealed.
• (May 25) Stargate UAE announced.

If you ask me, any announcements have always been slated for after the release of GMDC, which is tougher on energy measurement. And thinking back to conversations I've had, it's clear nothing was ever planned for 2024.

But then things got really interesting in 2025. I'm sure policymakers reviewed plans more than once, finally deciding to shift new announcements further down the road.

So here we are.

On its own terms

If there's one thing from my observation, it is now Singapore is determined to make sustainable data centres work on its own terms.

As I wrote last year, Singapore is attempting to solve multiple intractable problems inherent to data centres – all at the same time.

Broadly, this entails accessing greener energy sources, running data centres more efficiently, and inventing new ways of integrating data centres into the resource ecosystem.

Just as Singapore transformed from water-stressed to water-resilient, it will keep chipping away at the challenge – without being rushed into premature plans or initiatives.

Of course, I hope that this comes to pass much sooner, not the half century it took to develop the four national taps.

Something "soon"

For now, it shouldn't take too long for new announcements relating to data centres. To quote a response I heard yesterday, new announcements are coming "soon."

Separately, I have good reasons to believe that more than one initiative is brewing. And if there's one thing Singapore is good at, it's integrating complex plans into reality – and delivering on them.

Exactly what we need for building greener data centres.