Data centres, big guzzlers of electricity, can now brave tropical climates to become more energy efficient by following a new standard that helps them operate at higher temperature settings.  The new standard, one of the world’s first, could lead to potential energy savings of between two per cent and five per cent in cooling systems with every 1°C increase in operating temperature. Developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the standard will raise the operating temperatures of data centres gradually from 22°C degrees to 26°C and above.  Domain and technical experts from the industry and academia and government agencies collaborated to establish the guidelines for data centres to operate at higher temperatures and to optimise energy efficiency while still maintaining operational reliability. In IMDA’s pilot trial, data centre operator Digital Realty reduced its energy usage by two per cent to three per cent when it increased its operating temperatures by 2°C at two of its data halls. The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) also began trials for government data centres to operate at higher temperatures, as part of its sustainability initiative.  To encourage greater adoption of the standards, IMDA is working with the Building & Construction Authority to incorporate the new standard in the Green Mark Scheme for Data Centres, which evaluates data centres’ environmental impact and performance. IMDA’s new standard aligns with the Digital Connectivity Blueprint, announced earlier this week, which sets sustainability as an important design factor in Singapore’s digital infrastructure. This enables the nation’s digital economy to grow in line with its long-term climate commitments.  Data centres are important enablers of the digital economy. However, they are “hot”. Servers and other equipment humming in the data centres generate a lot of heat and hence must be cooled to remain operational. Many data centres choose to operate at 22°C degrees or below, resulting in their cooling systems accounting for up to 40 per cent of their total energy consumption. Operating in warmer climates may require even more energy to keep the data centres cool.  In 2019, the government had introduced a three-year moratorium on the development of new data centres due to sustainability concerns. Many initiatives were announced during this period including the trial of a tropical data centre in the Republic’s quest to reduce carbon emission. The moratorium was lifted in in 2022.      The ATxEnterprise conference was part of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG), the region’s largest flagship technology event to gather more than 17,000 global leaders and industry decision-makers in the Republic. Held from June 6 to 9 2023, the third edition of ATxSG addressed opportunities and challenges in the digital domain and explore the critical intersections of tech, economy, and society.       ATxSG 2023, organised by IMDA and Informa Tech, comprised two main segments: ATxSummit and ATxEnterprise. The exclusive ATxSummit, which hosted senior government leaders and tech company leaders from around the world, was opened by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong, on June 6 2023. A day later, ATxEnterprise kicked off at the Singapore Expo, featuring BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, SatelliteAsia (in conjunction with Euroconsult), and TechXLR8Asia.   Lynette Hooi is a freelance writer