Starting 2022, Singaporeans may anticipate the opening of “hundreds of jobs” at social media giant Facebook’s first custom-built data centre at Tanjong Kling, formerly Data Centre Park, in all of Asia.
According to vice president for Infrastructure Data Centres at Facebook, Mr Thomas Furlong, the construction of the 15th Facebook data centre in the world will give rise to “thousands of construction jobs” and “hundreds of operators” ranging from network maintenance to logistics staff, among other roles.
Mr Furlong revealed at the launch of the upcoming data centre that the expected opening of the 170,000 square-metres space in 2022 will only make up the first phase of the data centre’s opening, and that there will be further construction underway after that.
“It’s going to take a while,” he said.
Fortis Construction has been appointed as a general contractor for the project due to its joint experience in building efficient data centres, according to Facebook.
The 11-storey facility will be the first one to incorporate the new StatePoint Liquid Cooling system, which minimises water and power consumption, which has been found to reduce the amount of groundwater used by 20 per cent in tropical climates.
Furthermore, in an effort to encourage the development of new solar resources in Singapore, the new Facebook data centre will also be fully powered by renewable energy.
Additionally, the building’s exterior will be made out of a perforated lightweight material, which will facilitate airflow, and will also provide a sneak peek of the state-of-the-art mechanical equipment inside the data centre.
Singapore was chosen as the first country in Asia to house its data centre due to having a “robust infrastructure, access to fiber network, and a talented local workforce”, on top of having solid backing from government agencies such as the Economic Development Board and the Jurong Town Corporation, other than having a “business-friendly environment, which included measures supporting the enforcement of contracts” and obtaining construction permits.
Speaking at the launch of the data centre, Ministry of Trade and Industry Mr Chan Chun Sing said the building of the data facility in Singapore will “enhance connectivity beyond the physical dimensions of air, land and sea, to include non-physical dimensions of talent, ideas and technology”.
“Such investments, not just from Facebook alone, but also from many other players in similar fields, will help us transcend our geography and size,” said Mr Chan.
