The Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT), hosted at CDE, has signed an agreement with DayOne Data Centres to accelerate innovation in sustainable data centre technologies.
Under the agreement, signed on 25 July 2025, DayOne becomes a top-tier Anchor Partner of the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed Phase 2.0 (STDCT 2.0) Consortium, contributing S$5 million over five years. The signing took place during the groundbreaking ceremony for DayOne’s new flagship hyperscale data centre in western Singapore.
Officially launched in 2023, the STDCT is the first testbed of its kind in the tropics and serves as a living lab to trial and de-risk advanced cooling and power solutions under real-world operating conditions.
The STDCT 2.0 Consortium was established to foster public–private collaboration, support use-inspired research, and promote knowledge exchange through shared access to the STDCT’s facilities, technical workshops, and other joint activities.
As part of the new agreement, researchers at STDCT will work closely with DayOne to test and validate novel technologies designed to meet the unique challenges of operating high-performance data centres in tropical climates. These include advanced cooling systems, hydrogen-enabled power solutions, and other innovations aimed at reducing the sector’s environmental footprint.
Next-generation data centres
“This initiative underscores our collective commitment to reimagine how data centres in the tropics can perform effectively and sustainably,” said Professor Lee Poh Seng, Director of the STDCT and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CDE.
“Through the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed 2.0, we are field testing breakthroughs - from flexible-fuel generators and fuel cells to next-generation liquid cooling - to demonstrate that sustainability and high performance can go hand in hand. Together, we’re laying the foundation for a new class of energy-efficient, climate-resilient digital infrastructure in Singapore and across the region.”
In a statement marking the agreement, DayOne said the partnership with STDCT is part of its commitment to build and operate next-generation data centres that support Southeast Asia’s growing digital and AI demands while meeting ambitious sustainability goals.
By collaborating with industry, the STDCT programme aims to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global leader in sustainable digital infrastructure and drive regional innovation in the sector.
