DayOne Data Centers Prioritises Efficiency In Energy, Water Usage

By Hasnah Jusid

JOHOR BAHRU, July 6 (Bernama) -- Global pioneer in digital infrastructure platforms, DayOne Data Centers (DayOne), has focused on optimising its energy and water consumption to support Malaysia’s sustainability goals while maintaining high-performance operations as global demand for digital infrastructure surges.

DayOne Data Centers Malaysia Sdn Bhd general manager Jimmy Yan said data centres inherently consume a significant amount of electricity and water to power servers and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and efficiency remains the company’s core strategy.

“If you talk about daily consumption, we’re looking at a few million litres of water per day. But rather than absolute numbers, we measure efficiency using indicators like power (PUE) and water utilisation efficiency (WUE).

“Our PUE and WUE remain at relatively low levels, and that’s a better gauge of performance,” he told Bernama in an interview recently. 

Johor is expected to host 60 per cent of Malaysia’s total data centre capacity by 2030, cementing its role as the digital hub for Southeast Asia, where transformation will be accelerated by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. 

Jimmy added that several of DayOne’s facilities use “zero water” cooling technologies to eliminate water dependency, although such systems require higher energy input.

“There’s always a trade-off. If you don’t use water, you end up using more power. So we try to strike a balance by adopting the most efficient technologies,” he said.

The company also emphasises green energy adoption, including rooftop solar installation and collaboration with Tenaga Nasional Bhd through the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS) initiative to source solar energy.

The agreement enables DayOne to secure up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy over a 21-year term to support its data centre operations in Malaysia, making DayOne the first company to execute a bilateral energy supply contract under the national CRESS framework.

“Solar does not reduce overall power consumption, but it replaces brown energy with green energy. So we are tackling this on two fronts, reducing waste through efficiency and replacing traditional sources with renewables,” he said.

As Malaysia positions itself as a regional digital hub, DayOne believes building infrastructure responsibly is crucial.

“We cannot afford to fall behind. Digital infrastructure is a must, and we are making sure it grows in harmony with sustainability,” he said.

Headquartered in Singapore, DayOne positions the SIJORI region (Singapore–Johor–Riau) as a critical interconnected data centre hub.

DayOne has completed its RM15 billion equivalent multi-currency financing, comprising a RM7.5 billion murabahah term financing facility and a US$1.7 billion offshore term loan facility (US$1=4.22).

-- BERNAMA