New data centre operators now have more reason to go green with the official launch of the BCA-IDA Green Mark for New Data Centres scheme at the Green Data Centre Forum 2013, held at Mapletree Business City today.
Singapore, 14 March 2013 | For Immediate Release
- Launch of the Green Mark for New Data Centres Scheme
- Abbott Laboratories first winner of the BCA-IDA Green Mark for New Data Centres
New data centre operators now have more reason to go green with the official launch of the BCA-IDA Green Mark for New Data Centres scheme at the Green Data Centre Forum 2013, held at Mapletree Business City today. Jointly developed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), this new category is a new addition to the BCA-IDA Green Mark Scheme first launched in October 2012.
The first of its kind in Asia, the BCA-IDA Green Mark for New Data Centres encourages new data centres to adopt energy-efficient design, technologies and systems in the planning and design phase. The scheme relies on energy modelling to assess the performance of a proposed data centre design. Key criteria of assessment include energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable construction and management, indoor environment quality and other green features. More information on the criteria will be available on the BCA website. The data centres are rated according to Green Mark Platinum, GoldPLUS, Gold or Certified ratings.
Abbott Laboratories Singapore is the first recipient of the BCA-IDA Green Mark Award for New Data Centres. The data centre was rated Green Mark Gold for its efforts to introduce efficient design strategies such as the use of modular design which optimises performance through addressing phases in usage demand, the selection of energy efficient IT equipment and the deployment of virtualisation technology. Abbott's experience serves to underline how data centres can potentially realise significant cost savings by targeting energy efficiency in design. When fully operational, Abbott's data centre is expected to achieve energy savings of more than one million kilowatt hours annually.
Congratulating the winner, Dr John Keung, Chief Executive Officer of BCA, said, "The data centre market is set to grow rapidly in the next few years and this represents many opportunities for companies to step forward not only to do their part for the environment, but also to realise cost savings for their business. Aside from cost savings, green data centres may also open up market opportunities through increased credibility and recognition by clients for their environment-friendly initiatives. Going green is a win-win solution and I hope that more data centre owners will be inspired by our inaugural award winners and come onboard the scheme."
Singapore's total commercial data centre capacity is forecast to rise by 51% to 336,900sqm by 2015, from 222,829sqm, according to a 2010 Broadgroup report. There are currently more than 50 data centres in Singapore, of which 20 are large data centres. A typical large data centre in Singapore is estimated to consume energy equivalent to 10,000 households, which potentially offers significant cost savings for a Green Mark-certified data centre.
Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive & Director-General (Telecoms & Post) of IDA said, "Data Centres can improve their cost-competitiveness by reducing overall energy use, as the energy bill makes up a significant portion of their operating budget. Thus, it makes good business sense for data centres to go green and be energy-efficient. We encourage data centres to strive to attain the BCA-IDA Green Mark. Those who can achieve the highest rating under this Green Mark can potentially reap energy savings of at least 30%."
Three data centres - Credit Suisse Asia Pacific Regional Data Centre (Platinum award), Equinix SG2 Data Centre (GoldPLUS award) and Singapore Tourism Board Data Centre (Gold award) will be presented with the BCA-IDA Green Mark Awards for Existing Data Centres today by BCA's Chairman, Mr Quek See Tiat. These data centres, including Abbott Laboratories Singapore, the inaugural winner of the BCA-IDA Green Mark for New Data Centres category, are the pioneer batch of data centres to be formally recognised under the scheme.
The BCA-IDA Green Mark for Data Centres is the result of a two-year collaborative effort between BCA and IDA, with supporting partners from Energy Research Institute@Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N) and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBLN) in the United States. It is an extension of the successful BCA Green Mark for buildings scheme launched in 2005.
For more information about the certified data centres, please see the factsheet attached.
JOINTLY ISSUED BY THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY AND INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
About Building and Construction Authority
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore champions the development of an excellent built environment for Singapore. BCA's mission is to shape a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment, as these are four key elements where BCA has a significant influence. In doing so, it aims to differentiate Singapore's built environment from those of other cities and contribute to a better quality of life for everyone in Singapore. Hence, its vision is to have "the best built environment for Singapore, our distinctive global city". Together with its education arm, the BCA Academy of the Built Environment, BCA works closely with its industry partners to develop skills and expertise that help shape the best built environment for Singapore. For more information, visit www.bca.gov.sg.
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
For media queries, please contact:
Building and Construction Authority
Peggy Lee
Executive Communications Manager
DID: 6325 5074
M: 9831 5240
Email: peggy_lee@bca.gov.sg
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Zohria Nunis
Assistant Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
DID: 6211 3874
Email: zohria_nunis@imda.gov.sg
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