ABB has signed up to a pilot study with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) to explore how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and advanced analytics can optimize energy use and reduce a facility’s carbon footprint.

Singapore-headquartered STT GDC, which is one of the fastest growing global data center operators, is leveraging the digital transformation expertise of technology leader ABB as it bids to become net carbon-neutral by 2030.

ABB is conducting the pilot in two phases, beginning with initial data exploration, modelling and validation, studying historical data to establish how digital solutions would impact existing operations and energy use. Once proven, it will be followed by AI control logic testing in a live data center environment. STT GDC aims to achieve at least 10 percent in energy savings from its cooling systems, which is the largest consumption of electrical power in a data center after IT equipment.

“Our group’s AI roadmap will take a big leap forward with this pilot program. The vast amounts of data that can be captured and harnessed in a live data center environment makes for a strong base for AI applications, which can also be applied to other business processes including capacity planning, risk mitigation and predictive maintenance,” said Daniel Pointon, group chief technology officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. “This, and other initiatives around alternative energy sources, water efficiency, construction technology and innovative cooling solutions, are being carried out by our research and development team based in Singapore.”

The ABB team is currently developing AI-based optimization models for the entire data center cooling plant, including the upstream chiller and distribution systems. The AI project is also unlocking new opportunities for efficiency improvement at a granular level within the data center. STT GDC will be able to use AI-generated insights, leveraging cutting-edge ABB Ability™ Genix for industrial analytics and AI, to track and analyze data generated by monitoring systems in the data center, and better facilitate dynamic cooling optimization.

“We look forward to supporting the STT GDC team in their efforts to drive digitalization and energy efficiencies,” said Madhav Kalia, global head of Data Center Automation at ABB. “At ABB, we have a strong track record of supporting data center operators with our best-in-class technology solutions. We are committed to exploring the synergies between our offerings with STT GDC as it embarks on an ambitious plan.”

STT GDC is one of the fastest-growing data center providers, with a global platform of data centers in the world’s major business markets. It has more than 130 facilities across Singapore, UK, India, China, Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia.

ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.

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Big Data Exchange (BDx), a pan-Asian carrier-neutral data center cluster, today announced a new partnership with Cogent Communications in the company’s Singapore (SIN1) data center facility. Cogent Communications is among the top three globally ranked carriers specializing in providing IP transit, dedicated internet access, ethernet transport, SD-WAN and colocation services.

Singapore boasts the highest megawatt per capita globally, and its desirable and strategic location in the center of Asia empowers enterprises to access Asia-Pacific’s most rapidly emerging markets easily. Conversely, the high demand for colocation space makes data center availability hard to come by for new customers. Acquired by BDx earlier this year, SIN1 is one of the facilities still available to service new customers in capacity-constrained Singapore.

SIN1 houses 1,500 racks with a 6 MW power capacity within 14,400 square meters. It has been awarded an UpTime Tier 3 Design Certificate, as well as holding SS564 GreenMark Gold Plus, TVRA, ISO27001 and PCI-DSS certifications. Construction to add four floors and an additional 8 MW of capacity has also started. Upon completion, the SIN1 data center will house a total of 14 MW of capacity, making BDx one of the few data centers still able to service new customers in Singapore. The purpose-built servers within the SIN1 data center enable businesses to gain the robust insights needed to power their digital transformation. The BDx 360 portal provides customers with a holistic view into their infrastructure from any device or location.

The addition of Cogent as a new carrier in the BDx SIN1 facility will allow BDx customers to benefit from Cogent’s extensive footprint, network capabilities and range of services. As a leading telecoms carrier, Cogent is available as a connectivity option to all BDx customers regardless of the type of colocation services they require, along with offering high standards of operations and support.

“This new agreement with Cogent marks the beginning of a strategic partnership which we look forward to developing,” says Sona Singh, Business Development Director at BDx. “We are proud that Cogent has chosen BDx to partner within the important Singapore market. Together, we offer an even wider range of services for our customers. We are pleased to welcome Cogent into our SIN1 facility and look forward to expanding our partnership in the near future.”

Cogent chose to partner with BDx because the company provides the widest range of flexible, secure, on-demand connectivity options at each of its facilities. The SIN1 data center provides critical connectivity for customers looking to expand into the Southeast Asian market. Cogent, one of the largest Tier 1 IP providers globally, selected BDx due to the company’s state-of-the-art operations and customer support.

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Organisations in Australia and Singapore are among the most advanced in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in making data central to their business through the widespread use of data analytics, a new survey has found.

According to the Data Readiness Index (DRI) developed by technology analyst firm IDC, Australian firms earned the highest average score of 3.54, followed by those in Singapore with a score of 3.52.

The Tableau commissioned study also placed organisations in three bands – leading, developing, and lagging – based on their ability to harness data to achieve key business outcomes.

Just 20% of the 700 organisations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea that took part in the study made it into the leading band, with a majority in the developing (66%) and lagging (14%) categories.

Singapore had the most organisations (52%) in the leading band, where they tend to do better in areas such as governance, collaboration and employee data skills. Such organisations produced an average of 90% better business outcomes than laggards, the study revealed.

“Organisations in APAC are at an inflection point of their digital transformation. While many recognise the critical role data plays in this strategy, they are struggling to become truly data-driven,” said JY Pook, senior vice-president of Tableau APAC.

“In order to remain competitive and realise the business benefits [of data analytics], organisations need to adopt a holistic and tailored approach to drive data readiness,” he added.

Chris Marshall, associate vice-president for analytics, big data and artificial intelligence at IDC APAC, said the DRI captures an organisation’s ability to harness data to achieve its key performance indicators.

“We see big differences in DRI across functions and industries throughout Asia. The factors that drive DRI like skills, leadership, technology, governance and process also vary widely. These reveal some valuable lessons for business leaders about the initiatives to prioritise in particular circumstances,” he added.

This was demonstrated during an industry event in July 2019 where organisations are clearly not at the same stage in turning data into critical assets. Some are still ascertaining the business value of their data, while others are already using data to improve their operations.

Speaking at the ConnectGov Leaders Summit in Edinburgh, Singapore Exchange (SGX) vice-president and head of data science and visualisation Sigrid Rouam said just 5% of the company’s data is being monetised, while the global average among its peers is 30-40%.

Rouam said SGX is now looking to grow that figure by providing new data services, such as data visualisation, to external customers, effectively extending the value of its data beyond internal use.

At SP Digital, the digital services arm of Singapore utility provider SP Group, data has always been critical to its operations, enabling it to control and manage the country’s critical energy infrastructure.

About three years ago, the company embarked on a digital transformation initiative, which, among other areas, includes building a data lake to house all its data, according to SP Digital CEO Chang Sau Sheong.

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