Social networking giant Facebook has recently announced that it has chosen the location of a new data centre, which is set to open in Singapore in 2022.
Facebook’s new facility is reported to cost the company over $1bn (£773m), with the location of the centre being planned for the west of the Asian nation. The building itself has been designed to be an 11-floor structure, with those behind the plans attempting to save space in the overpopulated nation, according to the social firm.
The Vice President of Infrastructure Data Centres at Facebook, Thomas Furlong, says the data centre is set to host company servers and will be a central base for IT operations.
An analyst informed the BBC that it was another indicator of the popularity of Singapore within the tech industry, with another big firm choosing to set up there.
The data centre, which will be 1.8 million square feet, is set to create hundreds of jobs for local people. Facebook has also said that it expects the structure to be completely powered by renewable energy sources and has highlighted that it is set to feature a liquid cooling system in order to minimise its power and water use.
Facebook, which has 2.23 billion active monthly users, explained that the results of its tests show that this system can reduce the water used in the building by as much as 20% in tropical climates such as those in South East Asia.
Pankaj Mishra, a tech blogger from India, tweeted that Facebook’s decision to select Singapore as the location for the data centre was a massive snub to India, which is one of the company’s largest markets.
Facebook snubs India, its biggest (or second biggest?) user market, to build its first Asia data center in Singapore. https://t.co/tYLYrhqjSF
— pankaj mishra (@pankajontech) September 6, 2018
In contrast, according to Adam Simon at analyst company Context, Singapore is an ideal location for Facebook and the data centre. He said that the nation is a recognised technology hub within Asia and is where many tech companies on the continent have set up their headquarters.
Simon added that this is a smart move from Facebook because setting up there would allow them to attract a talented workforce, as there will be a good pool of potential employees already based in Singapore due to the number of technological companies also there.
Singapore has long had a history of attracting companies in the technology sector to its shores, and can boast a solid infrastructure, including the world’s fastest broadband. Furthermore, it is also well positioned to allow connections with other leading countries in Asia, such as China, Korea and Japan, as well as easy access to Australia and New Zealand.
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