Google has boosted its investment in Singapore’s infrastructure to S$6.7 billion with the recent completion of its fourth data centre. This marks an increase from US$850 million in 2022 when its third facility was inaugurated. The announcement was made during an event at Google’s office in Mapletree Business City II, Pasir Panjang. Currently, more than 500 individuals are employed at Google’s data centres in Singapore, which support essential services like Google Search and Google Maps.

Google operates data centres in 11 countries, with its first facility in Singapore launched in 2014 and the second following in 2015. All of these data centres are located in Jurong West. On May 30, Google announced a US$2 billion investment in Malaysia for its first data centre there.

Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Janil Puthucheary, emphasized the need for more sustainable practices in the growing data centre sector, particularly given the increasing demand for computing power from technologies like artificial intelligence.

With over 70 data centres in Singapore, contributing to 82% of the information and communications sector’s emissions, the government is working on a Green Data Centre Roadmap. This initiative aims to improve energy efficiency and increase the capacity of data centres while utilizing green energy sources.

Google’s data centres in Singapore incorporate sustainable features, including using recycled water for cooling, which reduces carbon emissions by 10% compared to conventional air cooling. The facilities also utilize light for networking instead of electricity, cutting energy consumption by up to 40% compared to traditional methods.