Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association pushes for stronger sustainability frameworks
The Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA) has started a new white paper calling for tougher guideline and industry collaboration to enhance energy sustainability throughout data centres in the region.
The APDCA participants consist of leading global operators, such as AirTrunk, Equinix, Digital Realty, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, and Princeton Digital Group.
The white paper highlights best practices to enhance energy performance across the information centre lifecycle– from spot selection, design and building to operations and tracking. It also advises policy procedures to accelerate access to clean and renewable energy via stronger grid facilities and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
Titled Data Centres and Energy Sustainability: A Regional Perspective on Best Practices and Policy Frameworks, the paper was published on Oct 27 and lays out strategies to reduce the environmental effect of data centers while fulfilling the climbing demand for digital framework in Asia-Pacific (APAC).
” Balancing power sustainability with the increasing demand for digital facilities is one of APAC’s defining hurdles,” claims Jeremy Deutsch, chair of APDCA. “With the best plan frameworks, Asia-Pacific governments can ensure that electronic transformation advancements hand in hand with net-zero ambitions.”
Among the examples mentioned is Singapore’s BCA-IMDA Green Mark for Data Centres (GMDC)– an accreditation scheme jointly established by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to acknowledge data centres with solid performance and energy-efficient methods.
Developers are urged to work together carefully with regulators and industry associates to set up consistent energy efficiency requirements across the APAC markets.
Pushed by cloud adoption, digital companies and artificial intelligence (AI), regional demand for data centres is forecasted to expand close to 20% every year through 2028. The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipations that Southeast Asia’s information centre electricity use will almost double by 2030 contrasted to 2024– a trend mirrored throughout the larger APAC area.
