KUALA LUMPUR: YTL Power International Bhd's subsidiary YTL Data Center Holdings Pte Ltd (YTL DC) has announced the development of the country's first solar energy-powered data centre park in Johor.

       According to the group, the 500MW data centre campus is located 30km from Singapore in the Iskandar region of Johor.

       "The YTL Green Data Center Park will offer diversity in power and connectivity on a large industrial site, of which 275 acres will be dedicated towards data center development.

       "This provides excellent opportunities for customers seeking green data centers to meet their needs," it said in a statement.

       The group added that the YTL Green Data Center Park will have dark fibre connectivity to Singapore, due to its proximity with the country.

       This benefits companies with operations in Singapore looking to expand, complement and optimise their data center processes.

       Dark fibre connectivity will provide direct and ultra-low latency network connections to data centers in Singapore and other locations in Malaysia.

       Works have started on the first 72MW data centre, which is expected to be in service by Q12024 with more in the pipeline.

       “With the development of the YTL Green Data Center Park, we are driving the expansion of our infrastructure platform to the digital age by combining our expertise in renewable energy, property development, telecommunications and data centers.

       "This project will be the flagship of our integrated data center vision to serve our customers in the wider Singapore region, and a catalyst for our regional expansion in this space," said YTL Power managing director Datuk Yeoh Seok Hong.

       Future plans for YTL DC include utilising the Group’s expertise in renewable energy, telecommunications and construction to develop new data centre campuses across Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

       Last December, YTL DC announced its acquisition of Dodid Pte Ltd, owner of a 12.5MW, Tier-III data center in Singapore spanning 42,000 sq ft.

       In addition, works are underway to expand and upgrade the Group’s 5MW Data Center facility in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur to Tier-III standards, offering customers a strategically located site in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with proximity to key Internet exchange hubs.