Princeton Digital Group (PDG) is leading the charge in sustainable data centre solutions with the completion of Phase One of its JH1 campus in Johor, Malaysia, which promises to not just boost capacity but also deliver a eco-friendly design.
The JH1 campus, boasting 52MW capacity in its first phase and costing about MYR2 billion, is poised to be Southeast Asia’s greenest data centre, specifically designed for the booming AI and cloud computing sectors.
Sustainability is at the forefront of this project. The campus incorporates cutting-edge technologies and rooftop solar panels to generate renewable energy and reduce reliance on traditional power sources.
In May this year, PDG had secured its first US$280 million green loan for JH1, a key step in its efforts to minimise resource consumption and emissions in its facility. This focus on clean energy aligns with PDG’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.
JH1 is part of PDG’s 150 acre data centre campus in Sedenak Tech Park in the district of Kulai, Johor. It is about a 40-minute car drive from Johor Baru.
The new campus is part of the data centre operator’s “SG+” strategy which allows customers to seamlessly expand their data centre infrastructure across Singapore, Batam and Johor.
The SG+ strategy arose from Singapore’s moratorium on data centre construction which began in 2019 and was lifted in 2022.
PDG group technology officer Asher Ling said the company was concerned with this moratorium, so it convened discussions with Singapore authorities and was encouraged to look at neighbouring countries for expansion.
The search led them to Johor and Batam, both within 100km from Singapore. An infrastructure builder and operator, PDG looked for a place with ample land, energy and water. It bought land in these two places. Work started in Johor as it emerged to be a major data centre hub in the region.
“Twelve months ago, the land on which JH1 stands, was just earth,” said Ling. “We bought the land around March to April last year. We brought in the earth compactors and the first piling was in mid-July.”
“By Christmas, the building was topped up,” he added. “By March this year, the power was switched on,” he told a small group of Singapore and Malaysian reporters in JH1 last week.
PDG has attributed the JH1’s swift development to supportive Malaysian ministries and authorities who expedited approvals.
Ling remained tight lipped on whether the data centre capacity has been fully subscribed, although he revealed that hyperscalers made up 80 per cent of the business. He declined to name the customers but hyperscalers refer to the large cloud providers like Amazon and Microsoft.
JH1 boasts a total floor area of about 47,888 square meters, housing about 104 to 110 racks per data hall, all of them designed for the high energy demands of AI workloads. The facility features two on-site substations each with 32kv capacity as well as backup diesel generators.
Currently, air-cooling keeps data halls at a constant 26 deg C. However, future data centres within PDG’s Sedenak campus will use more efficient liquid cooling technology.
“We are pushing the limitations of air cool solutions, maximising the number of servers you can put in one rack to the limit of air cooling,” said Ling.
He highlights the industry shift, where traditional 1.5KW rack capacities have climbed to 5KW to 10KW in recent years. “Now, it is 12KW to 15KW energy needed for each rack. With AI this will go up to as high as 30 KW to 40 KW. We are built to handle this high energy demand.”
As of this week, customers have begun moving their servers and other equipment into JH1. The facility employs 90 Malaysians, with staff projections to reach 300 to 400 employees when the campus is fully completed.
Construction to expand the PDG facility with additional data centres will start soon. When completed in the next 12 to 18 months, it will boost 150MW in capacity, making the facility one of the largest in Asia.
Said Ling: “It is only 75km between JH1 and our facility in Ang Mo Kio. These inter-connected campuses operate in a symbiotic relationship.”
“We see immense potential for business growth especially with the development of the special economic zone in Johor and the building of the high speed rail connecting Singapore and Johor,” he noted.
Singapore has been a data centre hub in the Asia-Pacific region with over 70 data centres and about 1.4GW of capacity. When the data centre moratorium was lifted, the Singapore government made available 300MW of capacity with more to be allocated for companies that use green energy.
