The Critical Importance of Proactive Asset Management for Datacentres in APAC

The Asia-Pacific region is positioning itself as a frontrunner in datacentre expansion, fueled by the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation initiatives, and substantial cloud infrastructure investments. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and China are transforming into major datacentre hubs. This growth is supported by rapid digitalization, an expanding internet user base, and favorable government policies.

According to IDC, the power capacity of datacentres in APAC is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 14.2%, reaching 94.4 gigawatts by 2028. While this expansion underscores the region's pivotal role in the global digital economy, it also brings forth challenges such as ensuring infrastructure resilience, managing heightened energy demand, and mitigating carbon emissions.

As the backbone of the digital infrastructure, datacentres must provide unmatched resilience, energy efficiency, and continuous uptime, especially with increasing AI-driven workloads. In critical sectors that include healthcare, financial services, logistics, and emergency response, even temporary outages can pose serious risks to lives and disrupt business continuity.

To address these challenges, proactive electrical asset management is becoming essential.

Assessing Your Assets

The first step to ensuring maximum uptime in AI-centric datacentres involves a comprehensive evaluation of all infrastructure components, from electrical systems to mechanical equipment. By assessing asset performance, condition, and efficiency, vulnerabilities that could disrupt operations can be identified. A proactive approach anticipates issues, aligning maintenance with AI workloads to minimize downtime and performance drops. As AI requirements increase, efficiently scaling infrastructure while incorporating renewable energy sources is vital for reinforcing resilience.

Electrical failures are a leading cause of unexpected downtime. Traditional maintenance methods often miss early indicators of issues, highlighting the need for predictive, data-driven evaluations to spot early signs of failure, such as insulation degradation or temperature anomalies.

The collaboration between Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters exemplifies the advantages of proactive asset management. By adopting real-time asset tracking through services like EcoCare, they have transitioned from calendar-driven servicing to more efficient operations, resulting in a 40% reduction in on-site maintenance. This shift not only enhances operational performance but also lessens the reliance on human intervention, thus boosting datacentre reliability.

Responding to AI's Growing Demands

Maximizing uptime is merely the beginning. A proactive asset management framework also enhances sustainability, efficiency, resilience, and preparedness for future developments. Utilizing predictive analytics, digital twin technology, and AI-driven insights can optimize datacentre operations while lowering costs and risks.

Amidst the rapidly growing demand for energy, datacentres worldwide consumed around 460 TWh of power in 2024, and this number is forecasted to nearly double by 2030. This trend underscores the necessity of energy efficiency as a fundamental aspect of operations.

Moreover, the growing expectation from stakeholders to minimize environmental impact compels datacentres to transition from merely achieving operational efficiencies to fulfilling a broader environmental responsibility. Proactive asset management is therefore critical in maintaining sustainable operations in this evolving landscape.

Fortunately, with the availability of intelligent automation and AI-enabled systems, datacentres can now significantly reduce e-waste and enhance energy usage efficiency, while meticulously monitoring sustainability metrics throughout the asset lifecycle. These innovations promote a cycle of improved operations, driving not just digital transformation but also a sustainable digital future.

Pankaj Sharma is the executive vice president for secure power, datacentres, and global services at Schneider Electric.