Singapore has one of the world's densest data centre capacities

Relative to GDP, it has more capacity than countries like Japan, says Josephine Teo

- Timothy Goh

Singapore has one of the world’s densest data centre capacities, but there is still room for more growth as it sees artificial intelligence playing a prominent role in its economy, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.

“If you look at our data centre capacity relative to the size of gross domestic product and compare it with, say, Japan or China, then actually we have way more,” she said.

“Take Japan, for example, it has a population that is maybe 20 times the size of Singapore’s, its GDP is maybe 10 times the size of Singapore’s, but actually if you look at their data centre capacity, I don’t think it is more than 1½ times the size of Singapore’s… So if you do that comparison across different jurisdictions, then Singapore has one of the densest data capacities.”

Mrs Teo, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, was speaking at a fireside chat moderated by Fortune executive editor Clay Chandler during the American media company’s Brainstorm AI Singapore event on July 30.