APAC data center firm DayOne has broken ground on its first data center in Singapore.

Announced this week, the 20MW facility will span about 40,000 square meters (430,555 sq ft) of gross floor area, with Phase I scheduled to be ready-for-service (RFS) in 2026.

The facility will support hybrid air and liquid cooling technologies, and will reportedly be Singapore’s first data center with on-site Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power generation, part of a proof-of-concept for hydrogen-based energy.

“This facility marks our commitment to Singapore as both a home base and regional hub while highlighting our long-term vision to power Southeast Asia’s digital transformation with green infrastructure,” said Jamie Khoo, CEO of DayOne Data Centers. “Our SG1 facility is an important milestone and a contribution to the nation’s ambition of being an AI-ready, sustainable digital economy. Backed by strong public-private collaboration, we’re building infrastructure that is purpose-built for AI workloads, cloud computing, and innovation.”

DayOne was awarded capacity under a pilot scheme by the IMDA and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The company, along with Equinix, Microsoft, and AirTrunk – were granted a combined 80MW of capacity for new facilities in Singapore as the city-state looks to end a years-long moratorium on new developments.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by senior government and industry leaders, including those from Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), Sembcorp, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and other partners.

“Congratulations to DayOne on its first data center in Singapore. Data center operators like DayOne play an important role in advancing energy efficiency and green energy solutions in support of our digital economy and the sustainable growth of data centers in Singapore,” said Aileen Chia, deputy chief executive, IMDA. “IMDA will continue to partner with the industry to develop sustainable digital infrastructures and the ecosystem to serve the digital needs and growth of Singapore.”

Formerly known as GDS International, Singapore-based DayOne was spun off from Chinese data center operator GDS earlier this year and has secured outside investment.

GDS acquired a warehouse property at 21 Jalan Buroh in Singapore from CapitaLand last year with the aim of converting it into a data center.

DayOne’s portfolio currently comprises approximately 500MW of data center capacity in service and under construction, and more than 500MW held for future development across sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia (Johor), Indonesia (Batam), and Japan (Tokyo). The company recently broke ground on a site in Thailand.

DayOne signs PPA, partners with NUS

This week also saw DayOne sign a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Sembcorp Power Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp). The energy will be backed by bundled renewable energy certificates (RECs), sourced locally or imported via grid-to-grid connection.

“The rapid rise of AI infrastructure is driving unprecedented energy demand — and meeting this demand sustainably is critical to the future of the data center industry,” said Koh Chiap Khiong, president & CEO, Gas and Related Services and CEO, Singapore at Sembcorp Industries. “By providing scalable and reliable renewable energy, we enable data centers to grow responsibly. Our collaboration with DayOne reflects this commitment to powering the next generation of digital infrastructure with clean, future-ready solutions.”

DayOne also signed a research and development partnership agreement with the National University of Singapore (NUS) as part of the Sustainable Tropical Data Center Testbed Phase 2.0 (STDCT 2.0) initiative. The program aims to explore and develop solutions around the cooling needs of tropical data centers.

“This initiative underscores our collective commitment to reimagine how data centers in the tropics can perform effectively and sustainably,” said Professor Lee Poh Seng, STDCT program director and head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering at NUS.

“Through the Sustainable Tropical Data Center Testbed 2.0, we are field testing breakthroughs—from flexible-fuel generators/fuel cells to next-generation liquid cooling— to demonstrate sustainability and high performance can go hand in hand. Together, we’re laying the foundation for a new class of energy-efficient, climate-resilient digital infrastructure in Singapore and across the region.”