Singapore Smart Nation masterplan taking shape
Singapore’s aim of becoming a smart nation has been bolstered lately by the news of a S$200-million investment in a data center infrastructure by Digital Realty Trust, a global provider of data centers. The center will be the second in Singapore by Digital Realty, with the first having been completed in 2011.
The new center will span over approximately 177,000 square feet and will be a redevelopment of an existing paper storage facility. Completion is expected to be in July 2015, and power and fiber works have already begun on the facility.
“Our first data center in Singapore marked Digital Realty’s entrance into one of Asia Pacific’s rapid expansion markets and enabled our global clients to enter the city state and serve other regional markets with a trusted partner,” said Daryl Dunbar, Managing Director Asia Pacific at Digital Realty.
The second data center will address the growing demand for data infrastructure and interconnection needs in Asia Pacific.
”Aligned to our vision for Singapore to become the digital innovation capital of Asia, Digital Realty’s expansion will enable both local and international companies to build new digital capabilities and scale critical digital services in a cost effective and efficient manner,” said Kiren Kumar, Director of Information Communications and Media at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Singapore’s “Smart Nation” plan follows its “Intelligent Nation 2015” plan that was announced in 2006 in order to improve its infocomm infrastructure by 2015. The Smart Nation plan focuses on three key areas; Smart housing, healthcare and transport. Faced by an aging population and an increasingly dense environment, the government says it has “no choice but to act quickly and adapt by tackling these two key issues”.
Autonomous vehicles are currently being tested on the island in the hope to be deployed to reduce congestion and with the aim of even introducing autonomous ambulances. Likewise, smart public housing in Punggol is currently testing technologies including intelligent parking, smart lighting and waste disposal fitted with sensors to detect patterns.
To achieve this ambitious aim, it will be required for the city state to have Internet access wherever you may be in a plan named “E3A – Connect everything and everybody everywhere all the time”. With current technology this is not feasible and a hurdle the government intends to overcome with innovation. Labs are being set up and technologies are being sought with outposts in London and San Francisco to cooperate with innovative startups and university research ecosystems. Singapore though believes the cross-government nature of this programme sets it apart from all the other smart city initiatives that have sprouted up over the years.
Singapore’s aim of becoming a smart nation has been bolstered lately by the news of a S$200-million investment in a data center infrastructure by Digital Realty Trust, a global provider of data centers. The center will be the second in Singapore by Digital Realty, with the first having been completed in 2011. The new center will span over approximately 177,000 square feet and will be a redevelopment of an existing paper storage facility. Completion is expected to be in July 2015, and power and fiber works have already begun on the facility. "Our first data center in Singapore marked Digital Realty's entrance...
Singapore’s aim of becoming a smart nation has been bolstered lately by the news of a S$200-million investment in a data center infrastructure by Digital Realty Trust, a global provider of data centers. The center will be the second in Singapore by Digital Realty, with the first having been completed in 2011.
The new center will span over approximately 177,000 square feet and will be a redevelopment of an existing paper storage facility. Completion is expected to be in July 2015, and power and fiber works have already begun on the facility.
“Our first data center in Singapore marked Digital Realty’s entrance into one of Asia Pacific’s rapid expansion markets and enabled our global clients to enter the city state and serve other regional markets with a trusted partner,” said Daryl Dunbar, Managing Director Asia Pacific at Digital Realty.
The second data center will address the growing demand for data infrastructure and interconnection needs in Asia Pacific.
”Aligned to our vision for Singapore to become the digital innovation capital of Asia, Digital Realty’s expansion will enable both local and international companies to build new digital capabilities and scale critical digital services in a cost effective and efficient manner,” said Kiren Kumar, Director of Information Communications and Media at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Singapore’s “Smart Nation” plan follows its “Intelligent Nation 2015” plan that was announced in 2006 in order to improve its infocomm infrastructure by 2015. The Smart Nation plan focuses on three key areas; Smart housing, healthcare and transport. Faced by an aging population and an increasingly dense environment, the government says it has “no choice but to act quickly and adapt by tackling these two key issues”.
Autonomous vehicles are currently being tested on the island in the hope to be deployed to reduce congestion and with the aim of even introducing autonomous ambulances. Likewise, smart public housing in Punggol is currently testing technologies including intelligent parking, smart lighting and waste disposal fitted with sensors to detect patterns.
To achieve this ambitious aim, it will be required for the city state to have Internet access wherever you may be in a plan named “E3A – Connect everything and everybody everywhere all the time”. With current technology this is not feasible and a hurdle the government intends to overcome with innovation. Labs are being set up and technologies are being sought with outposts in London and San Francisco to cooperate with innovative startups and university research ecosystems. Singapore though believes the cross-government nature of this programme sets it apart from all the other smart city initiatives that have sprouted up over the years.
