Facebook spends $1.4 billion in its first Asian data centre in Singapore
Facebook has announced it’s going to construct a $1.4 billion data centre in Singapore. It will be Facebook’s first in Asia and 15th in the world.
The tech giant say it will be built in Tanjong Kling, formerly known as Data Centre Park. Facebook says the new Singapore facility will form part of their “growing presence in Singapore and the region.”
Operations are set to begin in 2022 and construction will likely continue for a few years after that.
“Our data centres are highly advanced facilities that help bring Facebook apps and services to people around the world every day.” says Facebook in a Straits Times article.
The planned building is 170,000 sq metres, 11 floors high and will features a facade made out of a perforated lightweight material, which Facebook claims “will allow air flow and provide glimpses of the mechanical equipment inside.”
Mr Thomas Furlong, vice-president of infrastructure data centres at Facebook, says that Singapore was chosen for its “robust infrastructure, access to the latest fibre technology, a talented workforce, and support from government agencies including JTC Corporation and the Economic Development Board of Singapore.”
Facebook has around 1,000 employees already in Singapore and boasts programs to help local start-up companies grow their businesses.
Attending the launch event, Trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing said that Facebook’s presence in Singapore is important in helping the country connect to the rest of the world by transcending the “physical constraints of size and space”, and making the country a part of the global data centre value chain, according to the Straits Times article.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Nation
