Johnson Controls has expanded its Innovation Centre in Singapore as it moves to meet rising demand across Asia Pacific for sustainable data centre solutions, driven by accelerating AI adoption and cloud-led digitalisation.
The expansion reinforces Singapore’s position as a regional hub for intelligent automation, advanced thermal management, cybersecurity, and low-carbon technologies, as data centre operators across ASEAN and the wider Asia Pacific region confront growing energy and sustainability challenges.
Johnson Controls said the move responds to surging demand for high-efficiency cooling and energy management technologies as hyperscale deployments expand rapidly to support AI workloads. Asia Pacific currently accounts for around 30 percent of global data centre capacity, with continued growth expected as enterprises scale digital infrastructure.
In Singapore, data centres already account for an estimated seven percent of national electricity consumption, a figure projected to rise to 12 percent by 2030. These trends are sharpening the focus on next-generation cooling solutions and more efficient infrastructure designs to balance performance, sustainability, and resilience.
To support this growth, Johnson Controls plans to invest up to US$60 million in the Singapore Innovation Centre over the next five years and expand its engineering workforce to between 90 and 100 roles over the same period. The investment will deepen the company’s capabilities in thermal management and advanced cooling strategies, accelerate the development of next-generation cooling prototypes through ecosystem partnerships, and strengthen smart connectivity and digitalisation.
The expanded centre is expected to play a key role in enabling more intelligent, secure, and resilient operations for future-ready data centres, improving efficiency, sustainability, and uptime across the entire asset lifecycle.
Cindy Koh, Executive Vice President at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said the expansion reflects continued confidence in Singapore as a regional innovation hub. She noted that data centres remain a key growth area, supported by Singapore’s strong talent base and its ability to develop and scale advanced sustainable building solutions for the region.
Anu Rathninde, President, Asia Pacific at Johnson Controls, said sustainability has become imperative as AI workloads drive higher energy demand. He said the expanded Innovation Centre will help hyperscalers and colocation providers meet carbon reduction goals while maintaining consistent performance at scale, and highlighted Singapore’s role as a cornerstone of Johnson Controls’ ASEAN and Asia Pacific strategy.
With more than 140 years of global operations and over four decades of partnership in Singapore, Johnson Controls continues to shape the next phase of sustainable digital infrastructure through its Innovation Centre. The company is also advancing intelligent building management and predictive analytics through its OpenBlue digital platform, alongside its Cooling-as-a-Service model, which offers guaranteed energy performance and financial flexibility.
Over the past year, Johnson Controls has collaborated with Singapore’s higher learning institutions and commercial partners on proof-of-concept projects focused on digitalisation and cooling optimisation. These initiatives have validated prototype benchmarks and supported national objectives under Singapore’s Green Building Masterplan and Smart Facility Management programmes.
