StarHub aims to offer hyperscale data centre services from mid-2020

Telco StarHub will provide round-the-clock services to customers from a major new data centre with an eye on the launch of 5G mobile networks next year.

The StarHub Data Centre @ Loyang, which is being developed by start-up AirTrunk, is expected to be up and running by the middle of next year, it said yesterday.

AirTrunk specialises in what is called hyperscale data centres, which are significantly larger versions of typical enterprise data centres and house thousands and sometimes millions of servers.

AirTrunk's facilities serve cloud, content and telecommunication providers across the Asia-Pacific.

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Its partnership with StarHub means the telco's corporate customers will be able to access its hyperscale services, which are typically out of reach of firms here, said Mr Arthur Tang, head of StarHub's enterprise business group.

"Benefits of hyperscale data centres include optimising energy efficiency to lower their operational cost and reducing their corporate carbon footprint," Mr Tang added.

The facility at Loyang will be critical to meeting the increasing demands from enterprises such as e-gaming, e-sports and e-commerce providers, said the telco.

It will also be carrier-neutral, with the ability to interconnect to public cloud providers onsite.

AirTrunk deputy chief executive Michael Juniper said: "StarHub will play an important role in AirTrunk's cloud ecosystem, allowing StarHub's customers the ability to directly connect to key public cloud nodes."

There will be a proliferation of new services here in the wake of the expected arrival of 5G next year, Mr Tang noted.

"(Therefore), we believe our customers will demand even more of such hyperscale data centre services to support their business innovations," he added.

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AirTrunk, which already has data centres in Australia, announced in April that it had raised $450 million in debt and equity to help build its first Singapore facility.

The eco-friendly campus will open in two phases - the first in mid-2020. This will allow half of the 60-megawatt capacity to be sold to customers with the rest to be built as demand warrants.

The site will cover 1.5ha and cost around $500 million, said AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda.

It is near the Changi North Cable Landing Station, a critical gateway for several major submarine cables that bridge Singapore to the rest of the world.

The AirTrunk campus is expected to receive the Singapore Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Platinum certification and industry low-power usage effectiveness, StarHub said yesterday.

It is also designed to meet stringent security requirements set by the Monetary Authority of Singapore for all financial institutions based in the Republic.

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StarHub now fully owns or co-invests in seven data-centre locations here, Mr Tang said.

Besides AirTrunk, it also has partnerships with other data-centre providers such as ST Telemedia Global Data Centres and Data Centre SG.

StarHub's data-centre business provides co-location services and other functions to enable customers to house their business-critical applications and information reliably and securely.

StarHub shares closed up 1.5 per cent to $1.31 yesterday.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.