Keppel's floating data centre is finally under construction

After years in the pipeline, Keppel's floating data centre in Singapore is finally under construction, as quietly confirmed in the firm's Q1 business update today. No details were offered beyond a single mention and an artist's impression. But here's what has been discussed about this in the past.

Years in the making

Keppel has a long-time vision to build a floating data centre park. It is unclear when the idea was first mooted, but I first wrote about it after speaking with the CEO of Keppel Data Centres, Wong Wai Meng, in 2019.

What I clearly remember was his unshakable conviction and optimism in the continued demand for data centres here, and how floating data centres can address multiple challenges in land-scarce Singapore. In the press release that went out this morning, Keppel noted that this project will "[unlock] opportunities in digital infrastructure with innovative and sustainable solutions."

The case for floating

It is worth noting that a floating data centre isn't just about saving land. Being at sea also offers the ability to use seawater cooling. And unlike an underwater data centre, maintenance won't be much harder than on land.

The entire facility won't be at sea, though. Centralised power and cooling systems will sit on land, while the data halls themselves will be housed within floating modules.

Crucially, being at sea offers the tantalising ability to potentially harness cold energy from LNG re-gasification, or to pipe in hydrogen for on-site power generation.

Sustainability is definitely on Wai Meng's mind. He is listed as one of four representatives from colocation data centre operators consulted for the Green Mark for Data Centre 2024 update.

How big?

Intriguingly, Keppel has indicated in recent years that it is exploring the idea of a 1GW data centre park, making use of on-site hydrogen power generation.

This isn't just wishful thinking without any technical or logistical know-how. In the same release, Keppel announced that its 600MW hydrogen-compatible Sakra Cogen Plant has completed high-load commissioning and is on track for generation readiness by June.

Of course, today's update never mentioned the word "park" at all. But a single floating data centre, or 1GW sustainable data centre park, Keppel is certainly making waves.