Google buys land to build S'pore data center

SINGAPORE--Google is putting together the blueprint for a data center here after acquiring 2.45 hectares of land in the western part of the island in Jurong.

In a statement Wednesday, the Internet giant said the new facility will provide its users here and from the region speedier and more reliable access to its services.

"More people are coming online every day in Asia than in any part of the world, so locating data centers here is an important next stage of Google's investment in the region," the company said.

It currently has 15 offices and "thousands of employees" in the Asia-Pacific region, including a Singapore office which was opened in 2007.

Google said it was working with the local government and partners to finalize contruction plans for the data center and was, therefore, unable to provide "specific timeline or facts and figures" regarding the new site.

It did say, however, that when construction begins, the data center would likely be operational within 1 to 2 years if there were no major delays.

"A data center here would be among the most efficient and environmentally friendly in Asia, subject to the same high technical and environmental standards we use worldwide," Google said. It added that Singapore was chosen based on its proximity to users, access to robust infrastructure and reliable power, and reasonable business regulations, among others.

The company also announced plans to build data centers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, though no other details were available regarding these two sites.

Google reveals little about its computing operations but previously said it designed and built its own servers and its data centers were composed of standard shipping containers, which each comprised 1,160 servers and consumed power hitting 250 kilowatts.