Firmus wins award for energy-efficient AI data centre

Firmus Technologies, based in Singapore, has secured the Asia Pacific Data Centre Project of the Year award for its AI Factory, a facility recognised for its impressive energy efficiency and advanced infrastructure.

The AI Factory is part of Firmus Technologies' initiative to transform several existing ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) locations into GPU-based AI computing platforms. These AI Factories are designed to support enterprise and research needs with cutting-edge hardware and efficient cooling technology, achieving notable energy performance in the process.

Firmus Technologies' projects are aligned with Singapore's strategy to advance AI infrastructure innovation, which has seen backing from STT GDC and support from the Singaporean government. The aim is to equip Singaporean firms and institutions with early access to efficient and cost-effective GPU computing resources, further positioning Singapore as a global hub for AI development.

"This award reflects our dedication to energy-efficient AI at scale," remarked Tim Rosenfield, Co-CEO of Firmus Technologies. "By rethinking data centre design, we have created a platform that supports the growth of AI while promoting environmental sustainability. If we can do it in Singapore, where space is constrained and the humid climate is against us, we can do it anywhere."

The company recently welcomed Dr. Daniel Kearney as Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Kearney, who previously served as AWS' Head of Technology for the ASEAN Enterprise business, now leads the engineering team at Firmus Technologies. Expressing his views on the company's achievements, he said: "We're a new, fast-moving company with a clear mission to power AI sustainably. This win against established data centre players recognises the importance of technology like ours in meeting the growth of AI and the energy challenges it brings."

Firmus is continually focused on making a meaningful impact in AI through its Sustainable Metal Cloud (SMC). In an announcement, the company states, "Our commitment to sustainable technology has recently garnered significant attention, underscoring our achievements and the transformative role we're playing in the industry. [...] Our efforts are not just about cutting-edge technology but also about making a positive environmental impact. As we expand our footprint across Asia and globally, we remain committed to our mission of leading the AI revolution sustainably."

These highlights include the following:

• World-first MLPerf Training power consumption results: SMC has set a new benchmark in the industry by publishing the first-ever comprehensive power consumption data alongside performance results in the MLPerf Training benchmark.
• Consultation with Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: The company's insights, provided by Tim Rosenfield, co-CEO of SMC, contributed to the institute's policy agenda on practical solutions to manage the energy demands of the growing AI sector.
• Sustainable AI Infrastructure Presentation at ATxSG24: Firmus' Chairman, Edward (Ted) Pretty, joined delegates from NVIDIA, The World Bank, Alibaba Cloud, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change on stage at ATxSG24 to debate 'Godzilla vs Kong – The Sustainability & Compute Showdown!'
• Hypercube Update: Firmus' infrastructure arm consists of 700 people across the globe currently installing the world's first fleet of Sustainable AI Factories – the HyperCube.
• Panelists at NVIDIA GTC 2024: Firmus shared insights on sustainable AI infrastructure with partners NVIDIA, Deloitte, and WEKA in San Jose at two different panels.