Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) announced on Sept. 28, 2026 its participation in the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT) 2.0, a programme hosted at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The company, described as a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency and decarbonization, contributes its thermal management technologies, smart controls, engineering expertise and operational experience to the collaboration.

Johnson Controls Enters STDCT 2.0 Partnership

STDCT 2.0 is located on Jurong Island and brings together industry and academia to evaluate emerging AI and data centre technologies under real-world tropical conditions. The testbed forms part of a broader initiative with JTC Corporation and industry partners to transform Jurong Island into a living testbed for next-generation, low-carbon and AI-ready infrastructure.

The announcement follows Singapore's recent allocation of an additional 200 MW of data centre capacity as the country expands its low-carbon digital infrastructure. According to the release, the programme explores pathways to scale AI efficiently in power-, water-, and space-constrained environments, and research from the collaboration will help inform more efficient infrastructure designs for Singapore and other tropical markets.

Tropical Conditions Raise the Cooling Stakes

High temperatures and humidity in tropical environments present unique challenges for cooling performance, increasing the importance of efficient and reliable infrastructure. Professor Lee Poh Seng, programme director of STDCT and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NUS CDE, said AI is fundamentally changing the design envelope for data centres, with much higher rack densities placing unprecedented demands on cooling, power, controls and resource efficiency.

"STDCT 2.0 is designed to move beyond individual technologies and evaluate how these systems can be integrated and optimised as one infrastructure platform under real tropical operating conditions," said Professor Lee. "Johnson Controls brings deep expertise in thermal management, controls and mission-critical infrastructure to this collaboration."

Tackling Power, Water, and Capacity Constraints

Johnson Controls positions its role in the testbed around addressing the most critical constraints to responsible AI growth: power availability, water consumption and infrastructure capacity. Through an integrated portfolio of thermal management technologies, the company aims to optimise the entire thermal ecosystem to improve efficiency and create additional computing capacity from existing power and infrastructure resources.

The company cited a modelled design in which this integrated approach can reduce non-IT energy consumption by up to 50% compared with conventional cooling methods.

Johnson Controls is also pursuing additional AI computing capacity from energy that would otherwise be lost as waste heat. In a 1-gigawatt data centre blueprint, the company's absorption chiller reference design demonstrated the potential to convert the 57% of energy typically lost as waste heat from on-site power generation into productive cooling.

According to the company, this would enable up to 97 MW of additional AI computing capacity from existing power infrastructure while reducing cooling-related electrical demand by up to 44%.

Austin Domenici, president of Data Centre Solutions at Johnson Controls, framed the collaboration as part of a broader rethinking of infrastructure design. "Meeting the demands of advanced computing requires a new way of thinking about infrastructure," Domenici said. "As AI workloads continue to grow, success will depend not only on computing power, but on how efficiently we manage the resources behind it.

Johnson Controls brings expertise across the full thermal ecosystem, helping customers improve efficiency, reduce resource consumption, and enable greater computing capacity. This collaboration is an opportunity to explore and validate new approaches to infrastructure that can support the future of AI."

A Platform for Research, Talent and Industry Collaboration

Beyond evaluating next-generation technologies, STDCT 2.0 will support research, talent development and industry collaboration. Johnson Controls and NUS CDE will work to accelerate opportunities for advanced research, workforce training, innovation and knowledge sharing to support the continued growth of the data centre sector.

Ali Badreddine, vice president and general manager for Southeast Asia Business and Asia Pacific Data Centre Solutions at Johnson Controls, said the collaboration comes at a time when AI is driving a new wave of infrastructure demand across Asia Pacific.

"Advancing research, developing talent and strengthening industry collaboration will be critical to meeting that growth responsibly," Badreddine said. "STDCT 2.0 brings these elements together to help advance AI-ready infrastructure across Singapore and the broader Asia Pacific region."

The signing ceremony for the collaboration was attended by Dr. Ursula Oesterle, vice president (Industry) at the National University of Singapore; Professor Lee Poh Seng; Badreddine; and Domenici.

Context: Singapore's Data Centre Expansion

The testbed's launch coincides with Singapore's efforts to expand data centre capacity in a resource-constrained environment. With the additional 200 MW of data centre capacity recently allocated and the island nation's power, water and space limits, the programme is positioned as a way to evaluate how AI infrastructure can scale efficiently under tropical operating conditions.

The participation of Johnson Controls adds industry expertise in thermal management and controls to the academic-led testbed, with findings intended to inform future data centre design across Singapore and other tropical markets where heat and humidity complicate cooling performance.

Stay Ahead of Singapore's Data Center Boom Before the Ground Breaks

What if you could identify every hyperscale and colocation data center project in Singapore months before competitors even hear about it? In a market where land, power, and fiber capacity are claimed quickly, timing is everything.

The Global Project Tracking (GPT) platform by Blackridge Research gives you real-time visibility into data center developments across the region, from early-stage announcements to final commissioning. Track key stakeholders, project timelines, and contract opportunities the moment they emerge.

Whether you supply cooling systems, power infrastructure, or construction services, actionable intelligence on the right projects can transform your pipeline.

• Upcoming Projects

• Tender Notices

• Contract Awards

• Projects Under Construction

• Completed Projects

Ready to see what's being built across Singapore's data center landscape? Book a Free Demo of the Global Project Tracking (GPT) platform by Blackridge Research today.