Why Equinix's 20MW SG6 matters more than its size suggests
The first data centre from Singapore's pilot DC-CFA is now live.
SG6 is small in the face of triple-digit data centre campuses. Yet the CEO of Equinix flew in for the launch, while Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How gave the keynote.
The reason? Data Centre - Call for Application DC-CFA process sits at the heart of Singapore's managed-growth strategy for data centres, and SG6 is the first proof of it.
Why Singapore hit pause in 2019
It was in 2019 that Singapore imposed an "implicit" moratorium on new data centres. The pause was lifted after three years, with the DC-CFA created to allocate new data centre capacity. The first tranche saw 80MW allocated to four winning applications.
Even before the AI-fuelled data centre boom, Singapore was already one of the densest data centre hubs globally, whether measured by GDP, land area, or population. Uncontrolled growth was not sustainable. So Singapore moved to design a transparent and even-handed framework for approving new data centres, with sustainability as a key requirement.
Photo Credit: Paul Mah
Inside SG6
As one of four winners of the first DC-CFA, Equinix's SG6 is a modern, sustainably designed data centre that meets the various criteria the DC-CFA defines. On the sustainability front, it is targeting Green Mark Platinum, uses low-carbon construction materials, carries both vertical and horizontal solar panels, harvests rainwater, and runs at a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2.
Like other Equinix data centres, it comes with the company's proprietary cooling array fan walls, and it is also designed for full liquid cooling. The building is nine storeys tall, including the rooftop, which has an upper level. Unfortunately, a heavy downpour scuttled plans to tour the rooftop.
To my knowledge, SG6 is Singapore's first data centre with both a green facade and vertical solar panels. When I asked about the challenges of blanketing two opposing facades with vertical solar panels, Samson Jeremiah pointed to shading as the main one. The team specially designed the metal trellis for the facade vegetation, though those plans were trimmed slightly in favour of solar. The solar installation totals 1MWp.
Photo Credit: Paul Mah
Comes with a data centre lab
Equinix has also built a Co-Innovation Facility (CIF) on the ground floor of SG6 to advance data centre sustainability and energy innovation. The lab is scheduled to open in 2027.
Here, Equinix is partnering with the National University of Singapore (NUS) on DC power, digital twins, two-phase direct-to-chip cooling, and embedded water research. It is also partnering Hydroleap on water efficiency. I'll say more when I get the chance to tour the data centre properly, so stay tuned.
Singapore hit the brakes on data centres years ago. With opposition to data centres now growing both globally and regionally, that call is looking prescient. SG6 is the first proof of what managed growth looks like in practice. With three more DC-CFA winners behind it, it won't be the last.
