Singapore is certainly a hot bed of activity at the moment with all the major data center players scrambling for pieces of the pie.

The latest is Digital Realty, with the global provider of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions announcing the acquisition of land on a long-term ground lease to develop its third facility in Singapore, Digital Loyang II (SIN12).

The acquired land amounts to 12,800 square metres and is adjacent to the company's second Singapore facility – Digital Loyang I (SIN11) – which is located at Loyang Drive on the east side of Singapore, around 25 kilometres from the central business district.

Digital Realty expects the new facility to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2020, providing up to 50 megawatts (MW) of critical power capacity to regional and global customers.

Following the theme of other modern data centers, the facility will be multi-storeyed with a total footprint of 34,000 square metres to meet the demand of international companies looking to expand their core digital assets into the key Singapore market.

Digital Realty asserts the SIN11 and planned SIN12 facilities are strategically located to be in close proximity to the Changi North Cable landing station. The company has an existing relation ship with Singapore Internet Exchange (SGIX) to provide local peering at Digital Realty's Singapore data center facilities in Jurong West (SIN10) and Loyang East (SIN11).

This is of benefit to customers in both facilities as they are equipped with greater and more cost-effective connectivity options, while these peering points on both ends of the island enhance the overall resiliency of the peering solution ecosystem in Singapore.

According to Digital Realty APAC managing director Mark Smith, digital transformation is set to contribute US$10 billion to Singapore's GDP by 2021.

“With leading global technology companies increasingly looking to expand their digital footprint in Singapore, there is a significant opportunity for leading infrastructure providers like Digital Realty to provide the trusted foundation for the nation's technology landscape. Our customers are constantly investing in digital services to transform their businesses, and we remain committed to supporting them through these transformations,” says Smith.

“By leveraging Digital Realty's global ecosystem, SIN12 customers will have access to a carrier-neutral operating environment, consisting of a world-class range of telco providers, service providers and business partners. The increased speed and connectivity of the global Digital Realty platform aims to provide low latency and highly reliable uptime for our customers.

Digital Realty chief executive officer A. William Stein says Singapore's connectivity to major markets in the region, strong network infrastructure, conducive business environment and political stability are among of the top reasons international and local operators continue to seek data center growth in the region.

“We are excited to expand our platform in Singapore and to continue building upon our relationships and ecosystem in this core financial and colocation hub,” says Stein.

“With the addition of SIN12 to our Loyang connected campus, customers will soon have new ways to connect, extend their reach and find new business opportunities through our global data center platform. Singapore has traditionally been a key hub for our global footprint, and given its robust existing infrastructure and strong support for digital transformation, it remains a leading destination for customers from around the world.

Stein says the construction and management of the new facility will also offer a wide range of job opportunities from development to the ongoing operations. This continues a trend of data centers acting as economic magnets in offering significant opportunities and returns on investment.

In terms of sustainability, Digital Realty expects to pursue BCA Green Mark certification for the new facility, with indirect evaporative cooling to reduce power usage effectiveness (PUE) to between 1.2 to 1.3 – the company says it hopes to achieve the most competitive PUE for a commercial data center in Singapore.