IMDA and GovTech unveil new initiatives to drive digital sustainability

1. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) have unveiled the first suite of digital sustainability initiatives to green the information and communications technology (ICT) sector (i.e. green ICT) and tap on digital to green the rest of the economy (i.e. ICT for green). One of which is the launch of IMDA’s $30 million Green Computing Funding Initiative (GCFI) to co-develop innovative solutions for the industry. GovTech will also be fostering more partnerships to engage the wider ecosystem and develop solutions and best practices for digital sustainability. These efforts are in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and the public sector’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions around 2045.

2. Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Dr Janil Puthucheary announced the initiatives today at the Singapore Computer Society Sustainable Tech Forum 2024. The inaugural event was held at Orchard Hotel.

3. Due to rapid digitalisation and the rising use of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing and “Big Data”, the need for ICT infrastructure and services are rapidly expanding. While ICT sector emissions form a relatively small part of global emissions, this could grow if not managed well¹. Concerted efforts by the government, industry and academia are required to ensure sustainable growth of the ICT sector.

Greening the ICT sector: Developing technology that is sustainable by design

4. IMDA has launched two green computing initiatives that aim to promote sustainable practices and efficient use of computing resources in the tech sector. Improving hardware efficiency is necessary but not sufficient to move carbon emissions to a more sustainable level. With the increasing use of technologies like AI, there is a strong need to also reduce the carbon emissions from the computing and software that powers the digital economy.

5. First, IMDA’s GCFI will allocate $30 million to push for research to optimise software design and function for energy efficiency. It enables researchers from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to collaborate with the industry to solve problems related to green computing². To address the challenges faced by the industry, GCFI will focus on use cases that are currently unmet by commercial solutions. IMDA will call for proposals this year to invite researchers and industry to co-develop low-carbon digital solutions.

6. Second, IMDA invites industry partners to participate in green software trials to better understand how to develop green software, reducing energy use and IT costs. Participants, such as Amazon Web Services, NCS, Ant Group, and the Singapore Institute of Technology, will apply carbon reduction techniques to digital applications and measure their impact. The trials will look at the effectiveness of carbon reduction in real-world applications and the ability to deliver cost and energy efficiency without affecting performance. The trials will also generate valuable data and insights for IMDA to create guidelines for the industry on developing green software. Green software is a nascent and growing space. It will position Singapore to further ICT growth and help tech companies remain competitive.

7. At the same time, IMDA continues its efforts to green data centres (DCs), which account for the bulk of ICT sector emissions. In June 2023, IMDA launched the world’s first Standard for Tropical DCs. IMDA is now collaborating with industry partners to trial the standard in their live facilities.

Empowering businesses to leverage ICT for green

8. Beyond greening the ICT sector, IMDA is driving ICT for green, empowering businesses on their sustainability journey. IMDA has identified nine digital solutions for sustainability under the Advanced Digital Solutions (ADS) programme. These digital solutions in resource optimisation and carbon management allow companies to achieve productivity gains and cost savings, and gain access to new markets while reducing emissions. Under the ADS programme, grant support for up to 70% is provided for the adoption of the digital solutions.

Driving whole-of-government digital sustainability

9. As technology continues to play an important role in Singapore’s development as a Smart Nation, GovTech is taking proactive steps to ensure that the Singapore Government’s digital transformation is sustainable and environmentally responsible.

10. GovTech has facilitated the adoption of digital signatures and payments to reduce paper consumption, implemented digital workplace solutions such as video conferencing to reduce travel-related emissions and developed common platforms to encourage re-use in digital production. Additionally, the agency has consolidated government data centres, launched the Government on Commercial Cloud (GCC) in 2019 and enabled the adoption of commercial cloud services. To date, 70% of eligible government systems has been moved to cloud. GovTech has also piloted data analytics capabilities to support and improve environmental policymaking, operations planning, and service delivery.

11. While good progress has been made in greening the public sector’s digital emissions through these initiatives, GovTech recognises that broader inclusion of the ecosystem is needed to scale the government’s efforts and make a larger impact.

12. To realise this, GovTech will be working more closely with the industry to jointly manage the government’s digital carbon footprint. This will be achieved through fostering partnerships to jointly develop best practices and solutions that could reduce the environmental impact of digital technologies deployed by the Singapore Government. Interested partners may connect with GovTech by contacting Go_Green@tech.gov.sg.