Orchard Road Christmas light-up happening on Nov 9, Christmas villages to run till January 2025

The second Great Christmas Village will be held at Shaw House Urban Plaza from Nov 8, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025.

Unleash your inner child here with carnival rides, games and claw machines.

Returning alongside the Christmas Villages is the Great Christmas Eve Street Party. Stretching 400 metres from ION Orchard to Ngee Ann City, the event will feature live DJ performances, roving mascots, pop-up stalls and food trucks.

Do note that a section of Orchard Road from Paterson Road junction to Bideford Road junction will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6pm to 2am on Dec 24 as party-goers count down to Christmas Day.

In a statement, Mark Shaw, chairman of the Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), said: “We are delighted to once again welcome both residents and visitors of all ages to Orchard Road to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Christmas on A Great Street.

“As we come together with friends and family during this festive season, we want to spread love, hope, and joy. Building on last year’s sustainability initiatives, ORBA remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint at this year’s festivities by reusing and repurposing decorations from past years.”

Continue Reading

Growing talent should be Singapore’s top priority in building AI industry: Singtel

SINGAPORE: Singtel said a lack of talent trained in artificial intelligence ( AI ) could be one of Singapore’s most consequential bottlenecks in its digital journey.

This comes as the telco giant unveiled its new, end-to-end AI cloud venture RE: AI last Thursday ( October 10 ), which aims to make AI technologies and services more accessible and affordable for businesses.

According to the company, the service may be especially useful for local governments and sensitive industries like financial institutions that are looking to work with a local company to process data directly.

In collaboration with AI Singapore, the National University of Singapore ( NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singtel is launching an AI Acceleration Academy ( AAA ) to expand the talent pool.

The telco hopes to impart knowledge about AI to its employees so they can become more adept at it, as well as create a curriculum that other businesses can use to improve adjust to an extremely AI-driven environment.

A number of significant corporations have even made announcements to start and expand operations in the country, away from Singtel. The most recent is ChatGPT’s family company OpenAI, which intends to open its Singapore company later this year as part of its international expansion plans.

Mr Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo system, said AI can be a great army multiple and efficiency driver, with opportunities ahead for some enterprises.

In a wide-ranging meeting, he told CNA how Singtel stands out against companies, why Singapore is an interesting place for AI owners, and how the country you sustain the momentum to keep ahead of the AI trend.

Q. Tell us about De: AI and how it stands out among the lengthy list of buyers in Singapore’s AI area. &nbsp,

Our Be: AI cloud service aims to address the data center stage level of complexity of the infrastructure. We make it a service … from integration of software … to delivery with various types of networks … ( including ) a quantum safe networking for highly sensitive data. By combining all these, making it open and flexible, making it successful and removing the difficulty, making it simpler to use for sectors and enterprises, is Be: AI’s goal.

We are a homegrown brand, offering sovereign GPUs ( graphics processing units ) from a homegrown operator. Some clients place value on that.

Q. What makes Singapore so interesting for AI purchase?

First, Singapore is a company hub. The global business community has a lot of great faith in us, and we have a strong communications system. We’ve got very good outreach ( in ) Southeast Asia … and an ability to export very quickly. Artificial inventors around the world are very interested in the successes we’ve achieved as a gateway and that we can replicate across our companions in the region.

Singapore has the potential to draw in many more ( investors ) by developing collaboration platforms and expanding upon our attractiveness as a hub. We’ve got a very progressive government that thinks about policies with private and public sector collaborations, ( including ) agencies in science and research.

Q. How significant are public-private alliances for firms considering establishing operations in a nation?

We need to make sure that these alliances between the public and private businesses have a clear goal-driven approach to achieving these goals. To address the needs of AI entrepreneurs who want to consider about Asia and Singapore beyond their home businesses, we ( must make sure that we are extremely targeted.

I think we’re at the start of this. We’ve had some rapid successes, which is really heartening to view. However, this is only the beginning of AI, with businesses expanding and establishing operations in this area. It’s essential to maintain that momentum and expand that achievement, so that we can produce a bigger ecosystem. The ability to produce these intersections and connections will add value as more players are present.

Q. What is Singapore do to increase its appeal to Artificial investors?

I would say: Build on the skills pool. AI companies are very strong in software, and as they expand, they will have top quality people in Artificial engineering, data scientists and people who are able to convert solutions.

Many businesses are trying to use artificial intelligence, but they are having a difficult time doing so.

( For Singtel ), we aim to train our over 10, 000 employees to be AI proficient, so that they are able to capture value in this AI revolution that is ahead of us.

( There is also ) the sustainability issue. With GPUs consuming so much energy and carbon footprint, how do we do it sustainably? We must have the infrastructure in place to enable the deployment of more GPUs to support the AI drive.

Q. How can data centres stay both high-performing and sustainable?

GPUs, the heart of processing for AI outcomes, consume a lot of energy and generate a lot of heat. We need specialised environments ( such as ) liquid-cooled designs to handle that. ( Singtel ) has been investing heavily in sustainable, AI-ready data centres.

Last June, there were only about 60 megawatts ( MW) operating in Singapore. More than 400MW of data centers are currently being built in four countries in Southeast Asia, and half of that capacity will be liquid cooling capabilities.

We are also looking into, for instance, using renewable energy to power our assets in our operations and working with our customers to address some of the renewable energy needs in the upcoming years.

Continue Reading

Commentary: Could mandatory climate reporting make SGX less attractive?

SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS MOST CRUCIAL

Meanwhile, mandatory Scope 3 reporting, which has taken a back seat under the new reporting regime for now, remains the most problematic.

Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions that occur along the value chain of a company’s operations with upstream (such as suppliers) and downstream (such as customers) activities included.

The mandatory implementation of Scope 3 has met with pushback globally. Scope 3 emissions account for the majority of the carbon footprint for most companies, even making up to 80 per cent or 90 per cent of emissions in some cases.

Voluntary Scope 3 reporting therefore translates into a technical loophole for companies, creating opportunities for greenwashing.

To illustrate, a company could outsource its polluting operations to suppliers or sell their polluting assets to a private company, which will shift the emissions classification from Scope 1 to Scope 3. The company then could simply claim it has reduced its carbon footprint without any genuine change in the overall emissions along the value chain.

This is no different from sweeping dust under the rug – the dirt is still there, just hidden from sight.

Until Scope 3 reporting becomes mandatory and subject to strict audit requirements, mandatory Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reporting still lacks the horsepower to fully drive genuine decarbonisation.

Continue Reading

Climate change leaves future of Pacific Islands tourism ‘highly uncertain’

Christopher Cocker Christopher Cocker, the chief executive of the Pacific Tourism OrganisationChristopher Cocker

Some of the finest waters in the world, as well as picturesque beaches and forest, are scattered across the Pacific Islands, which are scattered across a sizable region of sea.

They are a magnet for commerce, which is essential for many of the countries ‘ markets.

But the state’s travel market, and those who rely on it, are extremely wary of the effect of continuing weather change.

” Pacific Island officials have declared climate change as the main threat to the livelihoods, safety, and well-being of Pacific areas”, says Christopher Cocker, the deputy executive of the Pacific Tourism Organisation.

The region’s future of tourism is still very uncertain without urgent and revolutionary action.

He continues,” All territories of the Pacific are prone to the effects of climate change. But, low-lying island states like Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia are more susceptible.

These islands are prone to flooding from rising seas, particularly during prince seas, and having access to safe, clean drinking water is difficult due to prolonged drought and unpredictable rainfall patterns.

Then there’s the threat of erratic and potentially devastating tropical storms, which are ranked from one ( the weakest ), to five ( the strongest ).

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has said that culture versions of the Pacific Ocean have suggested” there could be a potential shift towards fewer, but more intense, hurricanes”.

Citizens in Tonga claim that they are now seeing stronger hurricanes hit more frequently.

Nomuka is a small rectangular area in Tonga’s Ha’apai island, about 3, 500km (2, 175 yards ) north-west of Sydney, Australia. Surrounded by sea, its population of about 400 individuals feels at the mercy of humanity’s wishes and fury.

” We nearly always experience storms.” Sione Taufa, an associate professor of the University of Auckland Business School and a member of the New Zealand-Tonga Business Council, recalls that there were typically one or two that had a clear hit as a result.

” But today we are seeing many more frequently that those group four or five cyclones.”

Getty Images A beach in FijiGetty Images

The peril that Pacific Islands states face has been highlighted recently by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Last month he attended the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga, and called for the world’s most polluting countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

” The small]Pacific ] islands do n’t contribute to climate change but everything that happens because of climate change is multiplied here, “he said.

A two-hour trip heading north-west from Tonga are the islands of Fiji, a former British colony.

Last year Fiji welcomed 929,740 visitors, mostly from Australia, New Zealand, North America and China.

These, too, there is worry about a shifting environment.

Marica Vakacola is from the Mamanuca Environment Society, a group company based in Nadi, by Fiji’s major international airports.

The organization promotes responsible travel and environmental protection, and it is planting trees and restoring trees. But Ms Vakacola tells me that this piece of Viti Levu, Fiji’s biggest area, is now living with the effects of warming heat.

Saltwater from the intruding sea is contaminating bore water, and more and more water must be collected during the wet season.

” Water protection is a great risk in terms of culture shift, “explains Ms Vakacola.

” Most of the water sources that were once great enough to be consumed are now being ingested by water waters. Rising sea levels are causing coral bleaching, and the seawater’s temperature changes are causing shore sides to erode.

Marica Vakacola Marica Vakacola, second right, and colleaguesMarica Vakacola

Susanne Becken, a professor of sustainable hospitality at Griffith University in Australia, sees potential for conflict due to the Pacific Islands ‘ limited water resources.

” Drinking fluids is increasingly becoming an issue in some places,” she says.

Because tourists successfully use the liquid that the locals need, there might be issue with the community.

In Fiji and the Cook Islands, Prof. Becken has just completed his study. It revealed some sudden sentiments toward culture change and the danger it poses to island countries.

There is a little bit of rejection, where there is little that we can do about it. It was viewed with ease as a world issue that the Pacific Islands were unable to solve effectively. I was a little surprised, to be honest, that people even feel a little bit vulnerable.

” It is almost like’ let’s not talk about it’. Perhaps they are anxious to see the expansion of the tourism industry return. It is not part of the story. It is a truly tricky issue”.

The location of Fiji and Tonga

The Cook Islands, a popular tourist destination for both Australians and New Zealanders, are facing difficult realities, though, because the majority of the tourism infrastructure is enlarging around the main islands ‘ shores.

The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation’s director of location growth is Brad Kirner. He acknowledges that society discussions can be heated over global warming.

” If we accept fact, it will require some very serious adaptation strategies put in place. It’s a tough dialogue.

” There’s also the hard protection that, yes, vacation is a major contributor to global warming, and we need to face that reality. How do we come up with solutions?”

We are only a small percentage of the world’s population, and as a result, we have a very small carbon footprint. However, he continues,” We are on the front line of climate change.”

Getty Images A cyclone-damaged home in FijiGetty Images

While there might be a sense of despair, it should n’t be mistaken for an admission of defeat. Far from it. Persistence runs deep in some of the nation’s most isolated countries.

Social networks vary across the archipelago, where the impact of brotherhood parties, area networks and the community in Australia, New Zealand and beyond is paramount.

” Naturally, they will enjoy all the help that is given especially in the fallout of any natural disaster, but being treated with a victim mentality is n’t very good,” says the University of Auckland’s Sione Taufa.

” If any assistance comes we’ll be grateful for it, and if it does n’t we’ll try our best to survive. In times of need, you rely on your neighbors. Most importantly, it is a trust system.”

Read more global business stories

Continue Reading

Global depopulation: saving the Earth while killing the economy? – Asia Times

Right now, animal community development is doing something much thought impossible –&nbsp, it’s hesitating. It’s then possible world population was top much earlier than expected, topping 10 billion in the 2060s. Therefore, it may begin to fall.

In wealthier states, it’s currently happening. Japan’s population is falling quickly, with a net loss of 100 people every minute. In Europe, America and East Asia, fertility rates have fallen quickly. Some developing nations with lower or middle incomes are on the verge of a decline.

This is an amazing change. Practitioners had predicted that our figures, which were away from around 8 billion immediately, could reach 12.3 billion ten years ago.

Some campaigners have tried to save the setting by halting world population growth for the past 50 years. In 1968, The Population Bomb forecast large epidemics and called for large-scale baby power.

Population growth is slowing without community control, and rich countries ‘ populations are declining, triggering furious but largely inefficient efforts to encourage more babies. What might the culture be affected by a declining global people?

Depopulation is currently happening

For much of Europe, North America, and some of Northern Asia, emigration has been live for centuries. While longer life expectancies mean that the proportion of very old people ( over 80 ) will double in these areas in the next 25 years, fertility rates have steadily decreased over the past 70 years and have remained low.

China was until lately the world’s most populous state, accounting for a fifth of the global community. But China, too, is then declining, with the drop expected to quickly expand.

By the end of the century, China is projected to possess two-thirds fewer people than yesterday’s 1.4 billion. The long neck of the One Child Plan, which ended in 2016, is to blame for the unexpected fall, which was too late to stop the decline. Japan was once the country’s 11th most filled state, but is expected to reduce before the end of the century.

shibuya crossing
For then, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest in the world. However, Japan is starting to suffer a lot from emigration. Photo: Takashi Images / Shutterstock via The Talk

What’s going on is known as statistical change. As countries move from being mostly agrarian and agrarian to business and service-based economies, reproduction drops quickly. Communities begin to decline when low birth rates and lower fatality rates combine.

Why? Option is a significant factor. People are having more children later in life and, on average, have fewer because of better options and freedoms in terms of learning and careers.

Why are we immediately focused on emigration, given birth rates in wealthy countries have been falling for years? Most countries experienced a slight decline in birth rates before the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, while fatality rates rose as well. That strategy helped to accelerate the general trend of people drop.

A falling people poses real difficulties financially. There are fewer personnel accessible, and more senior citizens require assistance.

Countries in rapid decline may begin to halt migration to ensure they stay the fewest workers at home and stop the population from getting older and declining. The need for qualified employees will grow worldwide. Of course, migration does n’t change how many people there are –&nbsp, just where they are located.

Are these all prosperous country problems? No. People rise in Brazil, a huge middle-income state, is now the slowest on record.

By 2100, the earth is expected to have just six states where babies outweigh deaths – Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad, and Tajikistan. The other 97 % of the world’s fertility rates are thought to be below replacement levels ( 2,1 children per woman ).

Bad for the business –&nbsp, good for the environment?

Fewer of us means a break for character –&nbsp, correct? No. It’s not that easy.

For example, the per capita energy consumption rate drops between 35 and 55, then drops, and then rises again at age 70 as a result of older people’s longer-term indoor habit and living only in larger homes. Population declines caused by population declines could be offset by this century’s incredible population growth.

Then there’s the great gap in reference use. Your carbon footprints is nearly twice as large as it is for residents of the United States or Australia, the world’s biggest total transmitter.

Eat more in wealthy nations. Therefore, it’s good that more of the world’s population will be higher emitters as more countries become wealthier and healthier but with fewer kids. Unless, of course, we decouple financial rise from more pollution and other economic costs, as many countries are attempting – but very carefully.

Hope more lenient immigration laws to increase the number of people who are working. This is already happening; movement has now past projected levels for 2050.

Migration to a developed nation can be useful for both the new country and the country where they were born. Environmentally, it does improve per capita emissions and economic effects, given the website between income and emissions is pretty obvious.

line at airport
As communities fall, states will compete for experienced workers. Image: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock via The Talk

Then there’s the looming tumult of climate shift. As the planet heats up, forced movement– where people have to leave home to avoid drought, conflict or another climate-influenced disaster –&nbsp, is projected to jump to 216 million people within a quarter century. Forced movement may change pollution patterns, depending on where individuals find shelter.

Putting all of these things away, it’s possible that a declining global population will lower overall consumption and lessen the strain on the environment.

Environmentalists have long hoped that the world’s population will decline despite concerns about urbanization. They might shortly receive their wish. Not through imposed baby control laws, but mainly through the options of educated, wealthy women choosing to live in smaller families.

Is whether declining population may lessen the pressure on the environment remains a mystery. This is not a guaranteed outcome unless pollution reduction and consumption patterns change in developed nations.

Andrew Taylor is associate professor in population, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University and Supriya Mathew is postdoctoral scholar in climate change and health, Charles Darwin University

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.

Continue Reading

AWS launches Infrastructure Region in Malaysia with US.2bil investment through to 2037

  • higher funding than the US$ 5 billion that was first announced in 2023
  • Put about US$ 12.1 bil to GDP, help 3.5k work at physical companies yearly

Seen as a significant step towards fulfilling the vision of Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030 to build a highly skilled, innovative, prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable economy.

It’s making a bigger devotion to Malaysia. Amazon Web services ( AWS ) an Amazon.com, Inc.company first announced the launch of its AWS Asia Pacific ( Malaysia ) Region in March 2023 and estimated the investment to be US$ 5.82 billion ( RM25.5 billion ) through to 2037.

Today however it announced that AWS is planning to invest an estimated US$ 6.2 billion ( RM29.2 billion ) in Malaysia through 2038.

AWS launches Infrastructure Region in Malaysia with US$6.2bil investment through to 2037The new AWS Region in Malaysia, led by Prasad Kalyanaraman ( pic ), vice president of infrastructure services at AWS, enables organizations across Asia Pacific to fully exploit the potential of the world’s most extensive and reliable cloud, assisting customers in deploying advanced applications with a wide set of AWS technologies like AI and ML. With today’s release, AWS is happy to support Malaysia’s modern transformation and help promote its function as a local hub for AI”.

AWS Regions are made up of Availability Zones, which place facilities in specific and unique geographic locations. Three Availability Zones are located far enough away from each other to support customers ‘ business continuity, but close enough to offer low overhead for large availability applications that use various Availability Zones.

DNA is ensure that two of its three information centers are in Johor and Cyberjaya, both of which are in the Klang Valley.

According to AWS, starting now, engineers, startups, entrepreneurs, and organizations, as well as state, knowledge, and nonprofit businesses, will have greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from AWS information centers located in Malaysia.

It already has a number of leading level firms as its customers including Bursa Malaysia, CelcomDigi, GX Bank Bhd, PayNet, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd. The Department of Broadcasting Malaysia is one of the many government agencies that use it.

Amazon has adopted the same model with its AWS Partner Network ( APN), which consists of tens of thousands of independent software vendors ( ISVs ) and systems integrators ( SIs ) around the world, in the same way that enterprise tech vendors like IBM, Microsoft, HP, and Cisco use partners in overseas markets to boost sales. Now two Indonesian companies, Aerodyne and Tapway, are part of the APN.

AWS said that the construction and operation of the new AWS Region is anticipated to contribute approximately US$ 2.1 billion ( RM57.3 billion ) to Malaysia’s gross domestic product ( GDP ) and will support an average of more than 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs at external businesses annually through 2038. The company shared data from an economic impact study it commissioned.

These jobs, including construction, service maintenance, architecture, telecommunications, and others within the government’s broader economy, may be part of the AWS offer network in Malaysia.

Tengku Zafrul, Minister of Investment Trade & Industry ( MITI), stated,” The launch of an AWS infrastructure region in Malaysia increases our country’s capabilities for digital innovation.

” This step is a major step towards fulfilling the perspective of Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030 to create a highly skilled, modern, successful, equitable, and sustainable economy. We think that the transformational potential of AI, cloud computing, and digitalization are key factors in Malaysia’s effort to become an Asian hub for manufacturing and services. The AWS infrastructure Region will help ensure Malaysia stays competitive on the global stage as the largest investment made by an international technology company in Malaysia, according to Zafrul. &nbsp,

AWS Malaysia claims to have trained over 100 000 people in Malaysia in cloud skills since its direct presence in Malaysia in 2017. Through AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance and AWS Training &amp, Certification programs like AWS Academy, AWS continues to invest in educating developers, students, and the next generation of Malaysian IT leaders in cloud skills.

With the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific ( Malaysia ) Region, AWS has 108 Availability Zones across 34 geographic regions, with announced plans to launch 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.

Each Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical security, and is connected through redundant, ultra-low-latency networks. Customers who want to have high availability on Amazon can design their applications to run in several Availability Zones to achieve even greater fault tolerance.

AWS offers the broadest and deepest portfolio of services, including analytics, compute, database, IoT, generative AI, ML, mobile services, storage, and other cloud technologies. Customers from startups and businesses to public sector organizations and nonprofits will be able to use cutting-edge technologies from the world’s leading cloud provider to spur innovation, satisfy data residency requirements, achieve lower latency, and satisfy the growing demand for cloud services in Malaysia and throughout Asia Pacific.

The new crop of AI-built data centers ‘ fervent appetite for power has also increased the demand for power in Malaysia. With the launch of the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme ( CRESS) in September, the Malaysian government is allowing third parties to access the country’s electricity grid in response to the high demand. The emphasis is on the supply of green electricity.

Once introduced, buyers can negotiate directly with any renewable energy power plant for green supply, said the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation.

Since 2020, Amazon has become the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world.

At the same time, it is working on ways to increase the energy efficiency of its data centers —optimizing data center design, investing in purpose-built chips, and innovating with new cooling technologies. According to a new report from Accenture, which was commissioned by AWS, AWS’s infrastructure is up to 4.1 times more efficient than on-premises, and when workloads are optimized on AWS, the associated carbon footprint can be reduced by up to 99 %.

Additionally, AWS is committed to being water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in its direct operations.

Continue Reading

City hails food bank scheme for homeless

Pornphrom: Poor, needy get help
Pornphrom: Poor, poor find help

According to City Hall, its food banks program has transformed 315 tons of leftover food that would have otherwise been thrown away as waste into over 1.3 million dishes for the state’s underprivileged and vulnerable inhabitants.

Since BKK Food Bank launched on Aug 8, individuals and businesses across the town have donated 315, 741.42 kg of profit foods, which have been redistributed to 67, 449 citizens in want, said Pornphrom Vikitsreth, director to Bangkok government Chadchart Sittipunt on conservation.

” The project has also helped cut the state’s carbon footprint by 789, 825.79 kgCO2e]kilogrammes of CO² equivalent ]”, said Mr Pornphrom.

BKK Food Bank, which is one of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s ( BMA ) programmes designed to ensure food security, is meant to improve access to food among low-income and vulnerable groups, said Mr Pornphrom.

” Left unused, profit meal would have to be discarded as spend, which has a negative effect on both the environment and the economy”, he said.

” With a good management system, surpluses could be redistributed to people who ca n’t afford food for whatever reason,” according to the article.

From Tuesday through Thursday, donors may drop off income foods at the BKK Food Bank drop-off location in their neighborhood. He explained that the food may be stored at the city office for after supply.

Those who are interested in giving are encouraged to get in touch with their neighborhood area company for more details.

Continue Reading

CNA Explains: Why companies issue sustainability reports, and how to make sense of them

To be sure, for fact-checking might be hard for the common man on the street, but one method is to look out for the inspector’s comments, said Assoc Prof Law.

Readers may also “be cautious” and determine if there’s a bias towards portraying a glowing statement card.

A great sustainability report should not only address the company’s achievements. If you see that, then that might not be a pretty healthy report”, Assoc Prof Law said.

He cited European food company Nestle, which discussed potential child labor in its most recent sustainability report.

For Singapore-listed companies, climate-related statements and change ideas remain lacking, according to at least one review.

Only 39 % of the 535 companies listed on the SGX’s FY2022 sustainability reports were taken into account in their overall risk management, according to the analysis.

Less than a quarter of respondents assessed the effectiveness of their methods in light of various climate scenarios.

And only 12 per share of corporations produced “reasonably extensive” climate change programs, noted the research done by SGX Regulation and NUS ‘ Centre for Governance and Sustainability.

The publication of Scope 3 pollution is another space that needs to be filled, according to authorities.

This is mainly due to businesses being more knowledgeable about measuring Scope 1 and 2 pollutants. The issue is made even more difficult by problems in gathering pertinent information from providers across the benefit chain, they added.

More can be done, according to Assoc Prof Law, given that Scope 3 pollution account for more than 70 % of the carbon footprint for the majority of businesses.

In the end, impact is crucial when creating a strong conservation report.

NUS ‘ Prof Loh noted that there has been” a lot of inflation in information” and sustainability information “keep getting longer and longer” in recent years.

” We need to improve… There’s a needed to go back to the fundamentals: An general tale, how does it fit with your company, climate data and how you’re handling the whole value chain. That’s all we need”.

Continue Reading

Why is Princeton Digital Group’s flagship AI data centre in Johor a boost for Malaysia?

  • 150MW JH1 posts Malaysia as a local hotspot for AI-ready information centres
  • combines native talent with tech innovation to promote the nation’s modern growth

Why is Princeton Digital Group's flagship AI data centre in Johor a boost for Malaysia?

The recent unveiling of the first phase of Princeton Digital Group’s ( PDG) JH1 data center campus in Johor, the state with the southernmost state in Malaysia, marks a significant milestone in the country’s digital infrastructure landscape. With the aid of this growth, the nation becomes a strong competitor in the country’s rapidly expanding AI and cloud computing industries. However, the swift execution of this 52MW job, part of a larger 150MW complex, demonstrates PDG’s execution capabilities and Malaysia’s willingness to embrace and promote cutting-edge professional investments.

Located in Sedenak Tech Park (STeP ), PDG’s JH1 college is dubbed as one of Southeast Asia’s largest data center services. It serves as PDG’s flagship AI-ready center in Malaysia and caters to international hyperscalers and businesses with demanding mathematical requirements. This service is piece of PDG’s broader Asian collection, which spans 21 data centres across 15 cities in 6 countries, positioning the business as a critical infrastructure provider in the region’s fast growing modern economies. &nbsp,

In a media briefing held at the campus last week, Asher Ling&nbsp,, chief technology officer and managing director Of PDG Singapore ( pic ) told reporters that the Johor campus benefits from excellent connectivity, access to multipleWhy is Princeton Digital Group's flagship AI data centre in Johor a boost for Malaysia?fabric roads, and proximity to key local data systems. ” Johor offers a unique blend of communication, system, and ability, making it an ideal place for our latest data center campus”, he impressed.

Ping highlighted that while standard factors like electricity, land, and space remain important, two new considerations have emerged as important: access to alternative energy and scalability. Ling praised Malaysia’s forward-looking National Energy Transition ( NET ) plan, noting its alignment with regional sustainability goals.

The NETR sets ambitious goals for Malaysia, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The plan outlines a gradual increase in renewable energy shares, targeting 31 % by 2025, 40 % by 2035, and an impressive 70 % by 2050.

The service, completed within 12 months of starting building in 2023, is also part of PDG’s modern SG ® approach which aims to create a seamlessly integrated information centre habitat spanning Singapore, Batam, and Johor. This approach gives large enterprises and hyperscalers unprecedented flexibility when deploying their infrastructure.

Ling also emphasized the importance of scale, pointing out that to meet the growing demand for AI and digital services, modern data centers require significantly larger parcels of land. ” The JH1 facility is designed to meet the increasing demands for high-performance computing and data storage, driven by the rapid growth of AI and digital services”, Ling added, underlying PDG’s commitment to future-proofing their infrastructure.

For context, STeP is located in Johor’s Kulai district, just 70 kilometres north of Singapore. It provides low-latency connectivity to key markets for park-based data centers. This prime positioning, abundant land, and cheaper power have attracted major players like Nvidia, AirTrunk, GDS International, and YTL Power alongside PDG. Southern Johor is emerging as a regional data center hub, which places Malaysia at the forefront of the AI revolution and draws in international tech investments.

What sets JH1 apart?

The JH1 campus features cutting-edge cooling technologies that strike a balance between performance and sustainability because it was designed to handle the intense workloads of AI. Ling emphasised the facility’s cutting-edge capabilities, noting,” We’re pushing the boundaries of air-cooled solutions, with our server racks capable of handling up to 40 kilowatts of power consumption and heat dissipation per rack. This is far beyond the typical 5 to 10 kilowatts per rack that many data centers use.

Advanced air cooling systems are used by JH1’s high-density computing environment to effectively manage the significant power requirements of AI processing while minimizing the impact on the environment. In May, before launching the first 52MW phase of JH1, PDG secured a RM1.28 billion green loan from Maybank, Standard Chartered Bank, and UOB Malaysia. This loan, PDG’s first aligned with its green finance framework, marks a significant step towards reducing resource consumption and emissions in regional AI infrastructure. In designing and running data centers for AI and high-performance computing, PDG’s commitment to sustainability is demonstrated.

When asked how PDG had integrated sustainability into the company’s core design, Ling explained that they have installed solar panels on the roofs and will continue to do so for the upcoming phases, utilizing Malaysia’s abundant sunlight to generate renewable energy on-site. This demonstrates PDG’s commitment to lowering its operations ‘ carbon footprint and aligns with the nation’s National Energy Transition Roadmap.

Furthermore, the facility incorporates energy-efficient chillers and other state-of-the-art cooling technologies. Even though they come with a higher upfront cost, we have chosen the most effective chillers available. The long-term benefits of energy savings and reduced environmental impact make it worthwhile”, Ling noted.

Another feature of the JH1’s design is how it incorporates flexibility for upcoming upgrades. As demand for AI computing grows,” We’ve developed the flexibility to accommodate next-generation liquid cooling solutions,” Ling said. Strategically speaking, a forward-thinking approach ensures that JH1 can adapt to emerging technologies, making it a long-term asset for Malaysia’s digital economy.

The current economic impact

The economic effects of PDG’s investment go far beyond the facility itself. As Ling revealed, PDG has employed about 90 staff. ” And we’re going to grow between 300 and 400 in the very, very near future”, he said, adding that this job creation, particularly in high-skilled tech roles, is a significant boost to Malaysia’s workforce development in the digital sector.

Moreover, PDG’s commitment to nurturing local talent is evident in its hiring practices and training initiatives. Ling proudly shared,” When we first started, we had no Malaysian staff. Today, on our PDG Malaysia team, I am proud to share that 70 % of our team are Malaysians”.

Ling claims that the focus on local talent extends to all the essential areas for data center operations. Ling elaborated on the diverse skill sets required:” We need mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, IT engineers, network engineers, and project managers who know how to do a build. And then you have a distinct team that is adept at running things.”

PDG’s talent development approach is multifaceted, combining immediate hiring strategies with long-term talent pipeline development. Specifically, PDG has been innovative in identifying and attracting talent from adjacent industries. PDG has established partnerships with local educational institutions in order to recognize the need to develop the next generation of data center professionals.

With UTM in Johor, we’ve started a graduate engineering training program, which is similar to an apprenticeship model in that it involves working in a live data center with top mentors who can advise and instruct you, and perhaps help with the advancement of a career,” Ling said.

Overall, the launch of PDG’s JH1 campus represents more than just a new data centre in Malaysia. It signifies a pivotal moment in the country’s digital transformation journey. By combining cutting-edge AI capabilities, sustainable design, and a strong focus on local talent development, projects like JH1 are laying the groundwork for Malaysia to become a key player in the global digital economy.

Southern Johor, Malaysia’s emerging data center hub, could have a significant impact on shaping the region’s technological landscape as the demand for AI and cloud computing grows. In order to create a robust ecosystem that can support long-term growth and innovation in the tech sector, such projects will likely need to continue to collaborate with government-supported educational institutions, private sector investments, and other sources of funding.

Continue Reading