Four winners share 200MW of Jurong Island data centre capacity

The DC-CFA2 results were published at noon today, and four operators have been awarded a slice of the 200MW of data centre capacity on Jurong Island.

In alphabetical order, they are Digital Realty, Equinix, Keppel Data Centres, and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC).

What is the DC-CFA2?

As I explained yesterday, the DC-CFA is part of Singapore's controlled-growth regime for approving new data centres. I guessed there would be four winners, and it turns out I was right.

The CFA process was created to challenge operators to design cutting-edge data centres that push the envelope on efficiency, leverage low-carbon fuel, and deliver economic benefits to Singapore. In other words, capacity here is not simply allocated. It has to be won on the strength of the design.

What we now know

According to the joint EDB and IMDA announcement, the DC-CFA2 drew "more than" 20 proposals from both local and global players. That is a crowded field for a limited pool of megawatts.

The operators that succeeded met a set of criteria that says a lot about where Singapore wants this industry to go. They anchor advanced compute capabilities including AI, will make significant economic contributions, will power "at least" 50% of data centres, and deliver best-in-class energy efficiency.

I had the opportunity to work with one of the winners, and I look forward to seeing the winning data centres take shape over the next two years. You can be certain these will be cutting-edge facilities, positioning Singapore as a pacesetter for the next generation of highly sustainable data centres.

When's the next round?

For every winner, there are several operators who came away with nothing. Many of them poured significant resources into their DC-CFA2 submissions, funding pilot projects, feasibility studies, and partnerships with schools and industry players.

Those who missed out will no doubt be badly disappointed. That is unfortunate but unavoidable when the capacity on offer is fixed. Hopefully, the learnings carry over to their next bid.

So when will the next DC-CFA happen? EDB and IMDA say they will review the need for another CFA in "18 to 24 months" time. That gives the unsuccessful bidders a window to sharpen their proposals, and it gives the rest of the market a clear signal about the pace of approvals here.

Singapore has made its position plain. It is open to data centres, as long as they arrive on its own terms.