Facebook is to spend 1.4 billion on its first data centre in Singapore, a facility that promises to ‘support hundreds of jobs’.
At a launch event, Thomas Furlong, Facebook vice president for infrastructure data centres, said the new project will create thousands of jobs. This is due to the sheer scale of the facility, which will demand hundreds of operators spanning from network maintenance to logistics staff.
Facebook is already a pioneer when it comes to efficiency, and the 11-storey, 170,000 sqm data centre in Singapore will be no different. The facility will utilise a
liquid cooling technology set to minimise water and power consumption and according to tests, can reduce the amount of groundwater used by up to 20%, particularly in a humid climate like Singapore’s. Like Facebook’s other data centres, it is also expected the facility will run on 100% renewable energy.
Fortis Construction were Facebook’s contractor of choice, due to their experience building highly efficient data centres. At 11 storeys high, Fortis will build the facility upwards rather than outwards, saving on the amount of land required. The building itself will also be constructed from a light-weight perforated material to help promote airflow.
This will be Facebook’s 15th data centre worldwide and according to Furlong, this latest project is ‘going to take a while’, with first phase operations predicted to start in 2022 amid further construction.
At the launch event, trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing said Facebook’s decision to locate its first Asian data centre in Singapore was a ‘significant milestone’ for the country and would strengthen the country’s role in data storage as well as promote talent and creativity in the region.
