Shell Singapore contributes to new national standard supporting liquid cooling in tropical data centres
Industry collaboration helps advance efficient cooling solutions to support Singapore's growing digital economy.
As Singapore's digital economy grows, so does the need for data centres that can support increasingly demanding workloads from artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing.
Liquid cooling is emerging as an important technology that can help improve data centre efficiency, particularly in tropical environments. To support its adoption, the world's first Singapore Standard for liquid cooling in tropical data centres, SS 726:2026 Liquid Cooling in Tropical Data Centres, was recently published. The standard provides guidance to support the safe, reliable and energy-efficient deployment of liquid cooling technologies for increasingly demanding AI and high-performance computing workloads in tropical operating environments.
Shell Singapore contributed industry expertise to the development of SS 726:2026 through participation in the Liquid Cooling Working Group. Shell Singapore was represented by Dr Ong Lay Hwa, Head of Energy Transition Singapore, alongside stakeholders from across the data centre, technology, engineering and research communities. The standard was jointly developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), through the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), in close consultation with industry.
The publication of SS 726:2026 highlights the importance of industry collaboration in supporting Singapore's ambitions as a leading digital and energy hub. The standard provides technical guidance for the design, deployment and operation of various liquid cooling systems, including both immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling technologies, helping data centre operators adopt these solutions safely and efficiently in tropical conditions. It reflects broader industry efforts to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of data centre operations in Singapore.
Shell's contribution to the standard complements its ongoing work with customers and partners to explore innovative cooling solutions across the liquid cooling spectrum, including immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling that can support next-generation AI infrastructure. Earlier this year, Shell Singapore and Keppel launched an advanced immersion liquid cooling testbed that is evaluating the use of Shell's proprietary GTL-based immersion cooling fluid in a live data centre environment.
Together, these efforts demonstrate how Shell is helping to advance solutions that can improve efficiency and support Singapore's growing digital economy. As Singapore strengthens its position as a leading digital and energy hub, Shell remains committed to working with customers, partners and industry stakeholders to support innovation and long-term growth.