Singapore unveils IT energy efficiency standard for data centers

Singapore has rolled out a new standard aimed at cutting data center power consumption by at least 30 percent, as part of its push to strengthen sustainability in one of the most energy-intensive sectors of the digital economy.

The “SS 715:2025: Energy Efficiency of Data Centre IT Equipment” standard was launched on 22 August and is among the first globally to address IT energy efficiency in tropical conditions. It sets guidelines for operators and users to select and optimize the operation of servers and other computing equipment, which account for around 60 percent of a data center’s total energy use.

With artificial intelligence driving demand for more compute power and higher electricity consumption, the standard is expected to help curb energy use by encouraging best practices such as workload consolidation and virtualization to maximize IT equipment utilization.

In addition, the guidelines require IT equipment to operate safely at temperatures of up to 35°C. This aligns with Singapore’s earlier “Tropical Data Centre Standard” (SS 697:2023), which allows operators to raise facility operating temperatures. Every one-degree Celsius increase can yield a further 2 to 5 percent energy saving from reduced cooling requirements.

To accelerate adoption, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is offering an Energy Efficiency Grant that co-funds the purchase of pre-approved energy-efficient IT equipment by data center end-users.

“Data centres provide a critical foundation for Singapore's digital economy, enabling innovation and growth,” said IMDA Deputy Chief Executive Aileen Chia.

“This new IT EE standard builds on the progress made following the launch of the Green Data Centre Roadmap, and the Tropical Data Centre standard to accelerate both facility and IT energy efficiency in data centres. We will continue to work closely with industry to advance sustainable Green Data Centre growth in Singapore.”