ADDRESSING LAND SCARCITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Pan Asian data center provider Big Data Exchange (BDx), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Engineering (NUS Engineering), and Sembcorp Marine to explore the feasibility of developing sustainable ocean based data centers.

According to BDx, this partnership aims to develop Proof-of-Concept and pave the way for offshore data centers that address land scarcity and energy efficiency challenges in Singapore. Furthermore, this will promote joint research and development activities of mutual interest and benefit among partners in the areas of sustainable ocean data centers.

“Advancing the sustainability goals of our customers and uncovering new innovative ways to bring sustainability to the data center industry is becoming increasingly important for BDx. We have an ongoing commitment to this and we’re proud to work with NUS Engineering and Sembcorp Marine to begin the important work of creating a more sustainable future for our industry,” said Mr. Braham Singh, CEO of BDx.

Based on the signed MOU, BDx will provide the data center arrangement as well as the technical proposal and operational strategy while NUS Engineering will supply its cooling technology along with metrics for meeting relevant energy efficiency targets. On the other hand, Sembcorp Marine will contribute an offshore platform solution.

“We are pleased to study the feasibility of deploying our patented liquid cooling technology for this exciting development of offshore data centers that could be powered and cooled using seawater, the world’s most abundant resource. We look forward to working with BDx and Sembcorp Marine to bring about tangible benefits for both the digital economy and the environment,” said Associate Professor Lee Poh Seng from the NUS Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Executive Director of the Energy Studies Institute at NUS.

The exploration of BDx, NUS Engineering and Sembcorp Marine relates to the offering of Nautilus Data Technologies which recently opened its Stockton floating data center. Nautilus Stockton facility is a 7MW data center built on the deck of a barge on the San Joaquin River at the Port of Stockton, California.