According to a new report, Singapore data centers account for more carbon emissions than any other country.
Singapore is home to some of the most energy-intensive data centers in the world, and it’s not just because of its tropical climate. The tiny city-state has emerged as a central financial hub and center for high-tech manufacturing.
Singapore Data Centers Carbon Emissions
The report by Greenpeace found that Singapore’s data centers accounted for nearly half of all carbon emissions in the country. Although they only account for 0.005% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Data centers typically use large amounts of electricity because they’re constantly running computers and cooling them down. In addition, many use diesel generators or natural gas boilers as backup power sources.
Singapore is the third-largest Asia data center hub.
Singapore is the third-largest Asia data center hub, with 1.36 million square feet of space, according to the real estate firm JLL. The city-state has over 100 data centers, hosting over 2,000 companies with over 4,000 employees and contractors.
The city-state is also home to major players such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Data center operators are embracing green technology to reduce their carbon footprint. For instance, CSG Data Center has partnered with Envision Energy on its green power program since 2016. It uses solar photovoltaic panels to generate renewable energy that powers its facility at Jurong West Avenue 2.
The government has set a goal that by 2030. 30 percent of its power will come from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. The country also wants to reduce its total energy intensity – the amount of energy consumed per unit of GDP – by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.
But while there are efforts to encourage more sustainable practices, Singapore’s data centers still have a long way to go before they reach the government’s climate goals.
Singapore’s energy consumption is on the rise.
Singapore’s data centers are among the most energy-efficient in the world, but overall, Singapore’s energy consumption is rising.
In a report released last month by the International Data Corporation (IDC), Singapore was ranked as having the second-most carbon-efficient data centers in the world. IDC evaluated 13 countries’ data center carbon intensity and found that Singapore was second only to Ireland, which is known for its wind power.
However, despite its progress in reducing carbon emissions, Singapore’s total electricity use has increased by about 4 percent since 2012. This increase is due to several factors, including economic growth, population growth, and rising temperatures.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said:
“it would continue to develop new technologies and solutions to reduce the country’s dependence on natural resources while addressing climate change issues such as pollution and global warming.”
According to research from the University of Sydney, Singapore’s data centers produce more carbon dioxide than any other country. The city-state has almost 1,000 data centers, compared with 600 in the U.S., with a population roughly nine times larger than Singapore’s.
The research found that data center energy consumption worldwide increased by 42 percent between 2011 and 2016. Data center carbon emissions increased by more than 40 percent during that period. The high energy consumption and emissions come from a large number of servers companies like Google and Facebook store information on cloud platforms.
Singapore has a history of heavy reliance on fossil fuels
Data centers are the new factories. They’re the biggest cost center for many companies but are also responsible for many carbon emissions.
Singapore has a history of heavy reliance on fossil fuels. It has the highest per capita CO2 emissions in Asia, according to data from the World Bank. But it’s also home to many cloud computing and data center companies.
They are trying to reduce their environmental impact by using alternative energy sources like solar energy and reducing their overall energy consumption through efficiency measures.
Cloud computing is one of the fastest growing industries in Singapore, which is why its government has taken steps to encourage data center operators to be more responsible about their environmental impact.
Read more: EU Green Data Centre Regulation Will Affect Your Business
Singapore Electricity Keep Rose up
In a recent study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), it was found that Singapore’s electricity prices are among the lowest in the Asia Pacific region at USD 0.08/kWh (800 cents/kWh) compared with USD 0.12/kWh (1120 cents/kWh) in Japan and Korea and USD 0.24/kWh (2400 cents/kWh) in Australia.
Singapore has seen a sharp rise in its data center capacity over the last decade. The country currently houses over 10 million square feet of data center space. It’s enough to accommodate over 2 million servers, according to research by Synergy Research Group. It represented a more than 50 percent increase since 2009, when there were just under 7 million square feet (650 thousand square meters) of total capacity.
Singapore has a moratorium on new data centers, but it will end in 2022. Meanwhile, the natural gas supply from Indonesia to Singapore is expected to stop in 2023.
There are many reasons why data centers are being built in Singapore and not elsewhere in Asia. One of the most important ones is cheap and reliable power availability.
It is amazing, Singapore has no energy sources, including coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. They rely on Indonesia and Malaysia for an energy sources.
Many analysts have identified Singapore as one of the leading global destinations for data center development due to its strategic location and stable political environment. The government’s forward-looking approach to energy efficiency also means that companies can save money on their electricity bills without compromising performance or uptime levels.
Conclusion
Singapore is one of the most important data center hubs in the world. The city-state boasts some of the best connectivity and power infrastructure in the world and has attracted major cloud providers like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft over the years.
Singapore’s data centers are also its biggest carbon emitters. The island state’s National Climate Change Secretariat says
around 70 percent of its electricity comes from fossil fuels, with coal accounting for around half of that figure.
Singapore does not have natural energy resources, which they rely on from Indonesia and Malaysia. It means that Singapore will also be affected if there is a problem between the two countries.
Singapore has the data center with the largest capacity in Southeast Asia. They are also a pioneer in green data centers in Southeast Asia. Although CO2 emissions per capita in Singapore are high, the trend is decreasing.