Energising AI workloads with critical power infrastructure in Southeast Asia

During Singapore Tech Week, Choo Chee Khiang, GM of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, Eaton Electrical Sector provided insights into the rapidly evolving data centre landscape, highlighting the critical role of power management in supporting the region’s explosive AI and digital transformation growth.

Chee Khiang observed, “Because of AI deployment and AI workloads, power densities have gone up tremendously and power infrastructure needs to adapt as well.” As data centres proliferate across Singapore and Johor, Eaton is positioning itself at the forefront of innovative power infrastructure solutions. 

Key innovations

The company’s modular approach represents a significant shift from traditional implementation, offering pre-fabricated power distribution units that enable faster deployment and greater scalability.

“Instead of the conventional build, where you need to build a core and shell then populate with (power management) equipment; with the modular approach it is all pre-fabricated (pre-fab), so you’re it sending over in box form and what is needed to be done on-site is just (hooking up) the connectivity.”

“With AI workloads driving unprecedented power density requirements, we’ve developed a flagship UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that’s 78% smaller than conventional systems,” Chee Khiang explained. “This UPS is designed to meet the intense computational demands of modern AI infrastructure while ensuring uninterrupted power supply.”

Besides innovative solutions for fast deployment and scaling with speed, Eaton addresses high availability concerns, a critical data centre requirement, with ATS or Advanced Transfer Switch. 

ATS is a sophisticated power management tool that enables faster power distribution and provides power redundancy. In this way, it enables concurrent maintainability whereby, “… while you maintain equipment, you do not need to shut down and affect the IT load.”

Another technology called grid interactive power solutions, feature equipment designed to support and stabilise the electrical grid, as well as help grid operators manage power distribution more effectively. Yet another innovation, addresses water scarcity challenges in data centre markets with air-cooled and water-closed loop cooling systems.

This region’s potential

How will Eaton capitalise on the growing data centre concentration in Singapore and neighbouring Johor, Malaysia? Also, what is the company’s go-to-market approach for this market?

Strategically, Eaton is leveraging the complementary strengths of Singapore and Johor. While Singapore offers superior connectivity and low-latency computing environments, Johor provides cost-effective space for large-scale compute infrastructure. The company is already collaborating with hyperscalers and location providers to implement cutting-edge power management solutions, according to Chee Khiang.

Through a network of distributors and system integrators, Eaton is not just selling products but providing comprehensive power management ecosystems, for not just the data centre industry but also commercial and industrial sectors.

Eaton’s approach demonstrates how it is well-positioned as a sophisticated power infrastructure provider, a crucial capability that is becoming the backbone of digital transformation in this region.