Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association pushes for stronger sustainability frameworks
The APDCA members include leading global operators, such as AirTrunk, Equinix, Digital Realty, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, and Princeton Digital Group.
Developers are urged to collaborate closely with regulatory authorities and industry partners to establish regular power effectiveness standards throughout the APAC markets.
Amongst the examples presented is Singapore’s BCA-IMDA Green Mark for Data Centres (GMDC)– an accreditation system collectively created by the Infocomm Media Growth Authority (IMDA) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to recognise data centres with solid functionality and energy-efficient methods.
The white paper highlights best practices to improve energy efficiency across the data centre lifecycle– from location option, design and building and construction to operations and monitoring. It additionally recommends policy steps to accelerate access to clean and renewable energy via stronger grid infrastructure and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
” Balancing power sustainability with the increasing need for digital facilities is one of APAC’s defining challenges,” claims Jeremy Deutsch, chair of APDCA. “With the best policy frameworks, Asia-Pacific governments can ensure that digital transformation breakthroughs hand in hand with net-zero ambitions.”
Driven by cloud adoption, digital services and artificial intelligence (AI), regional request for data hubs is forecasted to grow nearly 20% every year through 2028. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projections that Southeast Asia’s data centre electricity use will almost double by 2030 compared to 2024– a trend mirrored throughout the bigger APAC area.
The Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA) has started a new white paper calling for stronger policy and industry cooperation to boost power sustainability throughout data centres in the area.
Titled Data Centres and Energy Sustainability: A Regional Perspective on Best Practices and Policy Frameworks, the paper was released on Oct 27 and lays out strategies to reduce the environmental effect of data facilities while satisfying the climbing need for digital facilities in Asia-Pacific (APAC).
