Singapore has on Thursday launched the world’s first standard to help data centers adopt liquid cooling technologies in the tropics to handle the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
The new Singapore Standard (SS) 726:2026 Liquid Cooling in Tropical Data Centers 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, the duo said in a statement.
Together with other national standards such as the Tropical Data Centre standard and the Energy Efficiency of Data Center IT Equipment standard, the new standard advances Singapore’s commitment
to the greening of data centers, complementing IMDA’s Green Data Centre Roadmap.
The standard equips data center operators with technical guidelines to design, deploy and operate various liquid cooling systems, manage potential risks, and integrate liquid cooling with existing air-cooled data centers.
It is noted that data centers are critical digital infrastructure that power AI systems, anchoring Singapore’s ambitions to be a leading AI hub.
As AI adoption grows, data centers are supporting increasingly compute-intensive workloads that generate more heat and require more efficient cooling.
Compared to traditional air cooling, liquid cooling uses fluids to transfer heat from hardware chips and can reduce energy consumption at data center level by more than 30 percent.
However, tropical conditions such as high temperatures and humidity present additional challenges, including equipment corrosion, which can affect cooling efficiency and reliability.
SS 726 therefore builds on existing international standards for liquid cooling, while addressing the specific requirements of operating such systems in tropical climates.
Additionally, the standard also supports water efficiency by recommending best practices on
measuring and optimising water use.
IMDA and EnterpriseSG, through the SSC, brought together industry, academia and technical experts to develop SS 726.
This consensus-based approach translated the challenges of operating in Singapore’s hot and humid tropical environment into practical considerations for the safe, reliable and energy-efficient adoption of liquid cooling.
“It is critical that data centers that underpin Singapore’s digital economy continue to grow sustainably. Liquid cooling is increasingly important to support the higher power densities required for AI and other advanced computing workloads, while improving cooling efficiency,
“This standard reflects the close collaboration between industry and government to support the growing adoption of liquid cooling. IMDA will continue to work with like-minded partners to push the boundaries for data center energy efficiency, in line with the Green Data Centre Roadmap,” said Aileen Chia, Deputy Chief Executive at IMDA.
Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General (Quality & Excellence) at EnterpriseSG, said SS 726 gives data center 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 center future in tropical markets,” she added.
The statement also highlighted that Singapore’s commitment to sustainable innovation in data center cooling underscores its readiness to support AI growth while addressing environmental challenges.
It noted that as demand for digital infrastructure grows, Singapore will continue to develop industry-relevant standards that enable the safe, reliable and energy-efficient adoption of emerging technologies.
IMDA and EnterpriseSG, through the SSC, will continue to work with industry to support the sustainable growth and evolving needs of Singapore’s data center sector, it added.