Singapore has launched what is believed to be the world’s first liquid cooling standard for data centers in tropical climates. The new national standard enables more energy-efficient cooling for AI data centres in tropical climates.
The new Singapore Standard (SS) 726:2026 Liquid Cooling in Tropical Data Centres was jointly developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), through the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), in close consultation with the industry, according to a government press release today.
Together with other national standards such as the Tropical Data Centre standard and the Energy Efficiency of Data Centre IT Equipment standard, the new standard complements IMDA’s Green Data Centre Roadmap which charts out key pathways for the sustainable growth of data centres in the island state.
Although liquid cooling can reduce energy consumption by more than 30 per cent, tropical conditions such as high temperatures and humidity can cause issues such as equipment corrosion, which can affect cooling efficiency and reliability.
SS 726 builds on existing international standards for liquid cooling, with additional considerations for operating such systems in tropical climates. Data center operators will be able to apply the technical guidelines to design, deploy and operate various liquid cooling systems, manage potential risks, and integrate liquid cooling with existing air-cooled data centres.
Aileen Chia, Deputy Chief Executive at IMDA, said, “IMDA will continue to work with like-minded partners to push the boundaries for data centre energy efficiency, in line with the Green Data Centre Roadmap.”
Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General (Quality & Excellence) at EnterpriseSG, said, “SS 726 gives data centre operators, technology providers and customers a trusted benchmark for designing, deploying and scaling liquid cooling systems safely and reliably in tropical conditions. By building confidence across the ecosystem, the standard can help unlock the wider adoption of more energy-efficient infrastructure needed to power the next generation of AI. In doing so, it positions Singapore as a trusted reference point for building a more sustainable data centre future in tropical markets.”
SS 726 can be purchased from the Singapore Standards e-shop.