SINGAPORE: Data centres in Singapore have become more sustainable over the years, but for them to reduce their carbon footprint, they would have to overcome significant obstacles.
The biggest obstacle could be the fact that Singapore relies heavily on fossil fuels, and that may be something out of their control, according to experts.
Energy guzzling data centres are used by organisations for everything from e-commerce to cybersecurity, as well as a collection of rows and rows of servers to store, process and communicate information.
Singapore has more than 70 data centres, which together account for 7 per cent of the country s total electricity consumption, according to the latest figures in 2021.
The country paused new data centres in 2019. Following a review, the government said it intends to be more selective of such projects, and later to release criteria that new centres will have to meet, such as using energy-efficient technology and obtaining green certification.
According to experts, Singapore's limited availability of renewable energy is one of the biggest limitations for data centres when it comes to sustainability efforts.
About 95 per cent of Singapore's electricity is generated from natural gas, traditionally piped in from Malaysia and Indonesia. Natural gas is the cleanest form of fossil fuel, as it produces the least carbon emissions per unit of electricity.
Singapore's limited land area and high population density make it hard to generate renewable energy on a large scale, said Lee Poh Seng, associate professor at the National University of Singapore's NUS mechanical engineering department.