Global Switch will build a SGD$300m, 25,000 sq mt data center in Singapore after gaining planning permission from JTC Corporation.

The 269,000 sq ft (25,000 sq m) data center will be located in Woodlands, a suburb in the northern part of Singapore, approximately 17km from the central business district and 15km from the existing 285,000 sq ft (26,700 sq m) Global Switch facility in Tai Seng Avenue. Construction of Singapore 2, phase 1 of which will take approximately 18 months to complete, is planned to commence in 2012 and will create 400 construction jobs with around 50 full time permanent jobs.

The planned Tier 3+ data center will have access to two independent utility HV power feeds and will provide an average of not less than 1,400 watts per sq m as well as power for cooling and ancillary systems, the company said. In a statement Global Switch said: "Singapore 2 will be a leading example of an environmentally sustainable data centre incorporating innovative design initiatives aimed at achieving long-term energy efficiency.

Every aspect of the design has been analysed to provide a world class data centre. The shape of the site and building will optimise the space and energy efficiency and the exterior sun shading louvers will minimise the solar impact on the building."

The cooling and power infrastructure are housed at both ends of the building, outside the weather enclosure, reducing the amount of cooling required for the mechanical systems and the primary power and cooling reticulation will also run outside the weather enclosure for enhanced maintainability and reduction of disruption to customers. In terms of water recycling, the new building will have facilities to harvest rainwater and to recycle water for use in the cooling systems.

The data centre will target Greenmark and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum ratings which measures a building’s environmental efficiency. Global Switch’s existing centre at Tai Seng Avenue which is now operating at near full capacity. It has also been supported strongly by Global Switch’s local and international customers and partners. Commenting on the new development, Global Switch Executive Chairman, John Corcoran, said: “We have witnessed and continue to see strong demand for data centre space in Singapore.

With our existing site near full occupancy we are delighted to have the opportunity to develop another world class facility in this important strategic location which will provide a vital resource, attracting new, local and multi-national customers as well as providing a growth path for existing customers. Global Switch welcomes the forward thinking and collaborative approach the Singapore Government is taking with regards to facilitating the continuing provision of first class information technology infrastructure on the island.”

Global Switch currently operates seven campuses with nine data centres across Asia-Pacific and Europe which total over 3,000,000 sq ft (290,000 sq m) of space and are occupied by internationally-renowned corporate tenants drawn primarily from the IT services, financial services, telecoms and data services sectors.

In response to strong growth in demand over the last few years, Global Switch’s ninth data centre will be launched in Paris later this month creating that city's leading data centre campus of 540,000 sq ft (50,000 sq m).

This is the second major planning consent Global Switch has received within a year, Sydney having received full planning to build a second facility adjacent to its existing data centre, already the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Related Stories Singapore’s stock exchange reaches roll out phase of new trading system IBM takes space at Digital Realty's Singapore facility