Singapore Opens Applications for 200 MW of New Data-Centre Capacity

The government of Singapore has launched a new round of applications allowing developers to build data-centres totalling at least 200 megawatts (MW) in capacity. This initiative reflects the city-state’s efforts to scale up its digital infrastructure amid rising demand for cloud computing, AI services and global connectivity.

Applicants will be evaluated not only for their technical plans but also for their broader economic contributions to Singapore’s digital economy. Successful proposals must meet high standards of energy efficiency - including a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 or better - and commit to sourcing at least 50% of their power from green-energy pathways like biomethane, low-carbon hydrogen, or solar energy.

The new call for applications follows a previous round in 2023, when 80 MW capacity was awarded. With carefully designed sustainability and efficiency requirements, the government aims to balance rapid growth of digital infrastructure with environmental responsibility and long-term resilience.

The PUE ≤1.25 requirement and 50 percent green-power sourcing minimum are among the most stringent conditions attached to any large-market data-centre capacity allocation globally. Singapore is effectively using its position as a preferred regional hub to set operating standards that other jurisdictions - Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Australia - are likely to reference in subsequent bidding rounds.

The signal to global hyperscalers and colocation operators is unambiguous: sustainability performance is now a pre-qualification criterion, not a differentiator. For sites that clear the bar, the trade-off is beneficial - Singapore's regulatory certainty and connectivity fundamentals make it a preferred location for AI, cloud and financial-services workloads that increasingly cannot be sited elsewhere in the region without material customer or investor concern.

For data-centre developers, hyperscalers and their industrial-park partners, Cognitud's data and digital, climate action and energy transition teams support PPA structuring for renewable and biomethane supply, PUE-optimisation strategy, and ESG disclosures that meet the expectations of both jurisdictional frameworks and international corporate customers - turning tight sustainability requirements into a durable operating advantage.