Bridging the Data Centre Gap with AI to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Goals

Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) is building on its achievement of being certified under NVIDIA’s DGX-Ready Data Center program for its first two facilities – STT Singapore 6 and STT Bangkok 1. The certification affirms that these data centres can support advanced AI capabilities and next-generation infrastructure, including NVIDIA’s AI systems, marking a significant milestone for the company.

“Our STT Singapore 6 and STT Bangkok 1 are the first facilities to receive this certification, and we aim to extend this across Southeast Asia and beyond,” said Lionel Yeo, CEO for Southeast Asia, STT GDC, in response to an enquiry from The Fortune Times – Financial Intelligence. “This certification aligns closely with our strategic vision. We are fully committed to supporting our clients in progressing from the digital age into the intelligent age,” he added.

“This milestone demonstrates our ability to deliver strong, reliable facilities capable of supporting the next generation of complex AI workloads, not only in Southeast Asia, but globally,” Yeo said.

STT GDC is among the first companies in Singapore to achieve this certification. This required overcoming several significant challenges, particularly in terms of power and cooling infrastructure. Many legacy data centres struggle to meet the growing power demands of AI GPUs. For instance, a single NVIDIA’s DGX H100 system consumes up to 10.2KW, and a typical rack with five of such systems requires around 50KW of power – often necessitating major upgrades to existing power infrastructure.

ST Telemedia Global Data Center (STT GDC) is headquartered in Singapore ([Image] source: [STT GDC])

Enhanced cooling systems are also critical, as AI workloads generate substantial heat. The choice between air cooling, liquid cooling or hybrid solutions depends on the power density and processing load of the systems involved.

Alongside advancing its AI capabilities, STT GDC remains committed to its goal of achieving carbon- neutral data centre operations by 2030. This includes shifting towards renewable or low-carbon energy sources and improving its energy efficiency. For example, the company has transitioned to 100% renewable energy across all its operational data centres in the Philippines.

As organisations rush to adopt AI solutions, existing digital infrastructure is struggling to keep pace. This demand is driving massive investment in data centres, with US$22 billion poured into the sector globally in the first five months of 2024 alone – compared to US$36 billion in 2023.

To help customers realise value from their AI investments more quickly, companies must offer pre- optimised infrastructure that accelerates deployment and simplifies complexity. This readiness is a key requirement of NVIDIA’s DGX-Ready certification, Yeo noted.

Lionel Yeo, CEO for Southeast Asia, STT GDC

“STT GDC’s long-term vision is to become the cornerstone of the AI ecosystem in Southeast Asia and the broader region. With global AI spending forecasted to more than double to US$632 billion by 2028, we see AI as a transformative force that will reshape industries and create new business models and services,” he said.

“In this era of transformation, we are committed to ensuring that infrastructure never becomes a bottleneck. Over the next decade, we will continue investing in advanced technologies to support increasingly complex AI workloads – from model development and training to inference at scale. By expanding our AI-ready infrastructure across Southeast Asia, we are enabling businesses of all sizes to stay competitive in the AI-driven future,” Yeo added.

He also shared that STT GDC has recently commenced construction of a new data centre campus in Johor, Malaysia. “Given the economic linkages between Johor Bahru and Singapore, especially through the development of their respective economic zones, we expect significant cross-border business activity. This presents a compelling opportunity to build and support the region’s digital infrastructure.”

Founded in 2014, STT GDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. The company owns and operates data centres across Singapore, Malaysia, [Vietnam], Indonesia, China, the United Kingdom, [Germany, Italy], India, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines.

Recently, STT GDC launched a US$52 million data centre campus in Kolkata, India. Designed to meet the growing demand for AI computing, the 5.59-acre facility features high-density rack configurations, advanced cooling systems and a modular design that allows for scalable deployment.

The company stated: “This new data centre has received the prestigious TIA-942 Rated-3 design certification, reflecting our commitment to building world-class, reliable and secure infrastructure. The campus will significantly boost Eastern India’s digital backbone, with an overall IT load scalable up to 25MW.”

This article was first published in Fortune Times on 15 April 2025. All rights reserved.