The modern data centre is under unprecedented pressure. The surge of AI-driven applications, e-commerce data, and the rollout of 5G has created an insatiable demand for processing power. However, with this comes a significant challenge: heat. As chip densities increase and GPUs become more power-hungry, traditional air-cooling systems can no longer keep pace. Today, cutting-edge data centre racks can consume over 20,000 watts, pushing these systems to the brink.

In Southeast Asia, where digital infrastructure is rapidly expanding, data centres are under immense pressure to deliver faster, more efficient performance. Having spent years at the intersection of technology and infrastructure, I’ve seen firsthand how these advances have exposed a critical issue: our existing cooling systems are no longer sustainable. The future of data centres—and Southeast Asia’s digital revolution—requires a new approach. Liquid cooling is no longer a luxury; it’s an essential solution to the relentless heat generated by today’s technological innovations.

Why liquid cooling is crucial for AI and data centres 

AI’s rapid growth has revolutionised industries but has also introduced a critical heat management challenge. High-performance GPUs, the backbone of AI and machine learning applications, produce excessive heat that air-cooling systems struggle to handle. This inefficiency leads to higher operational costs and raises concerns about sustainability and system reliability.

Liquid cooling represents a transformative shift. By efficiently transferring heat away from components, it allows for higher rack densities and minimises the risk of system failure due to overheating. Liquid cooling can make chips run more efficiently and release their potential performance.This makes liquid cooling indispensable for mission-critical AI applications, where uninterrupted performance is key.

We see this shift gaining momentum across the industry. For instance, NVIDIA’s latest Blackwell GPUs are designed with liquid cooling in mind, reflecting a broader industry move towards more advanced cooling solutions. Liquid cooling systems have proven their ability to deliver improved thermal management, reduced energy consumption, and optimised space utilisation.

Southeast Asia’s advantage: A clean-slate approach

Meanwhile, Southeast Asia’s digital transformation offers a unique advantage. As e-commerce booms and 5G rolls out across the region, countries like Indonesia—with over 200 million projected internet users by 2025—are at the forefront of this growth. Unlike established markets burdened by legacy infrastructure, Southeast Asia has the opportunity to build from scratch, integrating advanced technologies like liquid cooling from the outset.

Also Read: Can alternative proteins help build a more secure and sustainable food system?

This clean-slate approach allows data centres to meet soaring demand without the inefficiencies and environmental costs associated with outdated systems. We’ve seen how incorporating liquid cooling from the ground up enables greater efficiency and scalability for future technologies, giving Southeast Asia a competitive edge in the global digital economy.

Sustainability and smarter management

As Southeast Asia’s tech infrastructure grows, so does its environmental impact. Reducing energy consumption is not only a business imperative but a necessity for governments and companies aiming to meet stringent environmental goals. Liquid cooling plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, offering up to 40 per cent energy savings compared to traditional air-cooling systems. These energy reductions help data centres lower both operational costs and their carbon footprint, making them more sustainable.

Incorporating AI-driven management systems into liquid cooling solutions further optimises energy use based on real-time conditions. This smart management enables data centres to adjust cooling dynamically, predict potential failures, and optimise water usage, paving the way for a more efficient, future-proof infrastructure.

The future of data centres in Southeast Asia

The demand for faster, more powerful data processing will only intensify as AI, 5G, and digital services continue to evolve. Southeast Asia’s relatively recent entry into the data centre market presents a unique opportunity: the chance to embrace cutting-edge technologies like liquid cooling without being weighed down by outdated infrastructure.

Liquid cooling is not just a solution for today’s high-performance systems—it is a prerequisite for the future. The energy savings, performance enhancements, and environmental benefits make it the ideal cooling solution for next-generation data centres. Businesses that invest in liquid cooling today will be well-positioned to lead the region’s digital transformation.

The question isn’t whether Southeast Asia is ready for liquid cooling—it’s whether it can afford not to adopt it. In an increasingly data-driven world, the choices made today will define the region’s ability to compete tomorrow. The future belongs to those who embrace the most efficient and sustainable technologies available now.

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In Southeast Asia, the old assumption that companies must choose between profitability and impact no longer holds. The most successful ventures are showing that in emerging markets, commercial growth and social outcomes often reinforce each other.

When eFishery first introduced smart fish feeders in Indonesian ponds, sceptics doubted smallholders would adopt such technology. Yet adoption spread quickly, demonstrating that solutions addressing basic needs can scale commercially while improving livelihoods. This kind of dual outcome, revenue growth alongside measurable community benefit, is becoming one of the region’s defining opportunities.

Across agritech, healthtech, and edutech, founders are proving that purpose fuels profit. Here’s how.

Founder Stories: The Double Bottom Line in Action

Agritech: eFishery’s US$200M Bet on Smallholder Farmers

The problem is clear. Around 40 per cent of aquaculture feed in Southeast Asia is wasted (FAO), keeping farmers in cycles of poverty. Feed can consume up to 60 per cent of a farmer’s income, leaving little margin for resilience.

The solution combines IoT sensors with AI-driven feeding. This reduces feed costs by up to 20 per cent while boosting yields by about 30 per cent.

The results are significant:

• 250,000+ livelihoods improved
• 5M tons of CO₂ avoided through efficient feeding
• A strong signal that investors are backing models that align profitability with farmer well-being

eFishery illustrates how tackling one inefficiency—feed waste—can generate impact at scale: higher incomes for smallholders, reduced environmental pressure, and a stronger supply chain for one of SEA’s core food sources.

Healthtech: Doctor Anywhere’s prescription for equity

Healthcare in SEA has long been defined by gaps: distance to clinics, affordability, and shortages of trained professionals. For rural families, even basic check-ups can mean a day’s travel and high costs.

Doctor Anywhere’s pivot from corporate wellness into rural telehealth during COVID-19 showed how digital tools can bridge these divides. The platform now delivers teleconsultations at around US$5, roughly 40 per cent cheaper than offline visits in parts of Indonesia.

“If you can’t reach a clinic in Borneo, the doctor should come to you. Our tech makes healthcare borderless.” – Lim Wai Mun, Founder of Doctor Anywhere

Its impact is measurable:

• 5M users accessing US$5 teleconsultations
• 40 per cent cheaper than offline visits in Eastern Indonesia
• US$140M Series C at 2.5X valuation jump (2022)

This case highlights a broader principle: the strongest healthtech models don’t just digitise existing systems. They reimagine them for contexts where scarcity, not abundance, is the norm.

Also Read: Driving social impact with tech in Southeast Asia: Building for outcomes, not optics

Why impact measurement wins trust

Investors increasingly expect startups to measure outcomes beyond revenue. It is no longer enough to show financial KPIs; impact dashboards are becoming part of the due diligence process.

Take GrowSari, a B2B platform in the Philippines serving sari-sari stores. By tracking metrics such as income growth (15 per cent for 50,000 stores), GrowSari demonstrated that its platform directly improved livelihoods. This, in turn, helped it secure funding and build credibility with partners.

The lesson is simple: measurable outcomes create trust. Tools like B Corp certification and IRIS+ standards provide shared language for investors and startups to align. Startups that adopt these frameworks early differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive funding environment.

“Investors used to ask, ‘What’s your EBITDA?’ Now they demand ‘Show us your impact dashboard.’” – Shiyan Koh, Partner at Hustle Fund (early backer of GrowSari)

Investor perspectives: The case for capital

“The best companies solve problems so essential, their business model becomes antifragile.” – Peng T. Ong, Co-Founder of Monk’s Hill Ventures

Why are investors leaning into impact?

• Regulation: Indonesia’s SDG Indonesia One has mobilised over US$3 billion for sustainable development, much of it climate-focused.
• Consumers: Nearly three-quarters of SEA millennials say they prefer ethical brands.
• Performance: Studies show impact startups had a 22 per cent higher survival rate during COVID-19.

The logic is clear: ventures solving essential problems are less vulnerable to downturns. They build resilience because their markets — health, education, food, energy — remain critical regardless of economic cycles.

Also Read: Report: Singaporeans are among the most optimistic about the economic impact of AI

Green shoots: Funding momentum

The data reflects this shift.

Impact startup funding grew from US$150M in 2020 to US$850M in 2024, a 467 per cent increase.

The number of deals nearly quadrupled, showing deepening investor appetite.

These deals span cleantech, agritech, inclusive fintech, and healthtech—indicating broad demand across sectors.

This momentum suggests impact is not a niche play. It is increasingly becoming the mainstream thesis for venture and growth capital in the region.

The road ahead

“Profit is oxygen, but purpose is our heartbeat. Without both, you don’t have a business—you have a spreadsheet.” – Steve Melhuish, PropertyGuru Founder & Impact Investor

The next wave of SEA innovation will be defined by whether startups can align profitability with measurable outcomes. For founders, this means baking impact into KPIs from the start, whether it’s farmer incomes, patient access, or school retention rates. For investors, it means embedding metrics like IRIS+ into due diligence, alongside EBITDA and ARR.

Funding models that value both profit and purpose are no longer fringe experiments. They are setting new benchmarks for what successful businesses look like in Southeast Asia.

The message is clear: in emerging markets, the smartest capital is chasing ventures where impact and profit are the same story.

—

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For a long time, vision boarding was dismissed as a soft practice — something aesthetic, emotional, and often unserious. Cut out magazine clippings. Pin a dream house. Manifest abundance. Hope the universe listens.

But in recent years, vision boarding has quietly re-emerged — not as a trend, but as a response. A response to speed. A response to overload. A response to a world where execution is no longer the bottleneck — direction is.

Today, many people are moving faster than ever, yet feel more stuck than they did a decade ago. They are productive but uncertain. Busy but misaligned. Surrounded by tools, yet unsure which ones matter. And increasingly, the problem isn’t capability — it’s clarity.

This is where vision boarding, redefined, starts to matter again.

When everything accelerates, thinking becomes fragile

Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how fast we can move from idea to action. Writing, designing, analysing, automating — tasks that once took weeks can now happen in hours, sometimes minutes.

Speed, however, has a side effect.

When execution becomes effortless, it exposes a deeper weakness: Many people have never been trained to think clearly about what they are building, why they are building it, and who they are becoming in the process.

Decision fatigue is no longer an abstract concept. It’s daily lifeWhat should I focus on this quarter? What opportunities do I say yes to? Which version of success actually fits my life? Without a strong internal reference point, faster tools don’t free us — they fragment us.

And this is where vision boarding has evolved from a motivational exercise into something far more strategic.

Vision is not about dreams — it’s about direction

The most misunderstood thing about vision boarding is the assumption that it’s about dreaming.

In practice, the most effective form of visioning has very little to do with fantasy. It’s about conceptualisation.

Before anything meaningful is built — a company, a career shift, a body transformation, a creative identity — there is always a quiet phase that comes first. A phase where ideas are held loosely, articulated imperfectly, and refined through reflection.

Thinking. Verbalising. Then acting. This sequence matters.

Many people skip the first two steps because they feel inefficient. They want action. They want momentum. But action without conceptual clarity creates movement without meaning — progress that looks impressive but leads nowhere specific.

Vision boarding, at its core, is simply the discipline of slowing down long enough to decide what kind of life you are actually designing.

Also Read: Founder income: The unspoken truth about wealth, autonomy, and design

From goals to identity: The rise of the “NextSelf”

Traditional goal-setting focuses on outcomes: Revenue targets, follower counts, job titles, and timelines. These can be useful, but they are also fragile. When circumstances change, goals collapse. When motivation dips, goals feel heavy.

A more resilient approach is identity-based visioning.

Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” The better question becomes, “Who am I becoming?”

This idea of a “NextSelf”, a future version of you defined by values, boundaries, rhythms, and priorities, changes how decisions are made in the present.

When visioning is anchored in identity:

• Opportunities are filtered, not chased.
• Trade-offs become clearer.
• Daily actions feel coherent rather than reactive.

The future stops being aspirational and becomes directional.

You don’t act in hopes of becoming someone someday. You act as the person you are designing yourself to be.

Why static vision boards no longer work

The old version of vision boards assumed a stable world. One where you could map a five-year plan and reasonably expect the terrain not to shift dramatically beneath you.

That assumption no longer holds.

Careers pivot faster. Industries mutate. Personal priorities evolve. Many people experience identity drift — achieving externally while feeling internally disconnected from the life they are living.

Static vision boards fail because they freeze desire in time.

Modern visioning needs to be iterative, reflective, and context-aware. It must allow for revision without guilt. It must support multiple time horizons — not just “someday,” but the next three months, the following year, the next decade.

In this sense, vision boarding starts to resemble a mental operating system rather than a collage.

Where AI fits — and where it shouldn’t

AI does not replace vision. If anything, it highlights its absence.

When people lack clarity, AI amplifies confusion. When people have intent, AI becomes a powerful ally.

Used thoughtfully, AI can support visioning by:

• Helping articulate abstract ideas into language.
• Visualising possibilities that are hard to imagine alone.
• Prompting reflection through structured questioning.
• Acting as a guide through the process, rather than a generator of answers.

The most effective framing is not AI as creator, but AI as companion.

Think of it like a guided scrapbook — still personal, still human, but with a gentle structure that helps ideas move from vague to visible, from emotional to executable.

Importantly, the clarity still comes from the individual. AI simply helps surface it.

Also Read: Designing spaces for longevity: How everyday environments shape health in Asia

Manifestation, revisited (without the mysticism)

Manifestation is often misunderstood as passive optimism: Think positively, and good things will happen.

In practice, manifestation has always been practical.

You think deliberately. You verbalise intentionally. You act consistently. Vision boarding formalises this process.

By externalising thought — writing it down, visualising it, speaking it aloud — people reduce internal noise. Decisions become easier because they are measured against something larger than mood or impulse.

This isn’t about controlling outcomes. It’s about aligning behaviour.

When vision is clear, action follows naturally.

Vision as a skill, not a personality trait

One of the most damaging myths is that some people are “visionary” and others are not.

In reality, visioning is a skill — and like any skill, it can be learned, practised, and refined.

Those who appear decisive are often not more confident; they are simply clearer. Those who move fast are often not more capable; they are simply less distracted.

As the world grows noisier, the ability to design one’s future deliberately – rather than inherit it by default – becomes a form of leverage.

Not just for founders or creators, but for anyone navigating modern life.

Designing before doing

The irony of our era is that we have more tools than ever to build anything – yet fewer moments to ask whether we should.

Vision boarding, in its evolved form, is not about predicting the future. It’s about reducing noise in the present.

It creates a pause between stimulus and response. A space where identity leads action, not the other way around.

In a world obsessed with speed, that pause might be the most strategic move of all. Because the future doesn’t belong to those who move fastest.

It belongs to those who know where they are going.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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December’s funding rebound offers a useful, but nuanced, signal for Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem. The 49.71% month-on-month jump is less a return to exuberance and more an affirmation that capital is selectively re-engaging where conviction is highest.

Airwallex’s US$330M round did the heavy lifting, underscoring a clear reality: late-stage capital has not disappeared, but it is now reserved for category leaders with proven global relevance, strong governance, and clear paths to scale.

Strip out that single deal, however, and the picture becomes more instructive. The steady flow of mid-sized and early-stage rounds suggests investors are rebuilding the pipeline rather than chasing momentum. With nine early-stage and six seed deals in December, VCs appear more comfortable underwriting future optionality than stretching valuations at the growth stage. This aligns with a broader regional reset in 2025, where discipline replaced speed and capital efficiency became non-negotiable.

The year’s extreme volatility—from February’s US$107M trough to July’s US$1.67B spike—reflects an ecosystem recalibrating after years of excess. The encouraging takeaway is the Q4 climb. October through December shows sequential recovery, hinting that the market may have found a more stable floor.

Heading into 2026, the message for founders is clear: capital is available, but only for those who can demonstrate resilience, clarity of execution, and realistic ambition in a more sober funding environment.

REGIONAL

Nadiem Makarim indicted in US$125M Chromebook graft case: The Chromebook procurement process between 2019 and 2022 failed to meet basic planning and procurement standards. Crucially, the devices were found to be essentially unusable certain regions due to inadequate infrastructure.

Manus to join Meta in acquisition deal: Manus AI positions itself as an “execution layer” for AI, transforming advanced capabilities into scalable and reliable systems that can perform end-to-end work in real-world settings. Its agent has already processed 147T+ tokens and powered 80M+ virtual computers in just a few months.

Hong Kong’s Buy&Ship secures US$12M to scale AI-driven cross-border commerce: Investors include MLC Ventures, MemeStrategy, Cool Japan Fund, and Altara Ventures. Funding backs AI automation, Southeast Asia growth, US expansion plans and early steps toward IPO for cross-border e-commerce platform globally.

Singapore’s data centre firm DayOne bags over US$2B Series C: Investors include Coatue and the Indonesia Investment Authority. Capital will be used to develop its Finland platform in Lahti and Kouvola, and to grow its presence in Singapore, Johor, Batam, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Iterative, Antler invest in US$1M round of Singapore AI startup i10x: i10X offers a workspace that lets users access multiple AI models and tools in one platform. The funding will support product development, infrastructure expansion, and team growth.

Vietnam’s digital tech sector hits US$198B revenue: The sector reported a 26% rise from 2024 and 16% above the annual goal. Its contribution to GDP reached nearly US$40.9B, up 10% YoY. Hardware and electronics exports hit US$178B, up 35% from 2024 and 12% higher than targeted.

FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

From US$107M lows to a US$491M finish: SEA’s volatile 2025: The full-year funding trajectory for 2025 was defined by extreme volatility. The region experienced a dramatic peak in July 2025, when total funding reached a staggering US$1.67B, a figure nearly triple the next highest month.

INTERNATIONAL

Airwallex to invest US$234M in Netherlands: The firm said it will expand its Amsterdam team by 60%, bringing the local headcount to roughly 70 by the end of 2026. Airwallex provides a platform for businesses to handle international payments and multi-currency accounts.

Zomato fires 5,000 delivery workers monthly over fraud, CEO says: Deepinder Goyal said many terminations are related to repeated fraud, such as delivery partners falsely marking food as delivered or failing to return change to customers. He also said 150K-200K gig workers also leave the company voluntarily each month.

Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan hit 2.6M a day: According to the island’s National Security Bureau, sectors such as energy, emergency services, and hospitals saw the largest YoY rises in attacks. They included distributed denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle techniques, aiming to steal information.

Self-driving tech, AI take centre stage at CES as automakers dial back EV plans: Just as automakers have hit the brakes on EV plans and look for their next money maker, a slew of auto suppliers and startups are lining up to show off their latest autonomous vehicle hardware and software.

South Korea’s labour minister rebukes Coupang over data breach: The online retailer faced scrutiny in a parliamentary hearing after it reported a breach affecting 33.7M customers. The Minister Kim Young-hoon linked the incident to what he called a pattern of alleged cover-ups at Coupang.

France, Malaysia probe xAI’s Grok over sexualised deepfakes: The probes follow similar condemnation from India, which ordered X to restrict Grok from producing obscene or illegal content and warned of potential loss of legal protections if action is not taken within 72 hours.

SEMICONDUCTOR

Trump orders cancellation of US$2.9M chip deal on security grounds: The order targets HieFo’s purchase of chip and wafer fabrication operations from Emcore, announced in May 2024. It requires HieFo to divest the technology within 180 days due to “credible evidence” that the current owner is a citizen of China.

Taiwan indicts ex-TSMC engineer, others in 14nm chip trade theft: The accused include Chen Li-ming, a former TSMC engineer, a current TSMC employee surnamed Chen, and a Tokyo Electron employee surnamed Lu. They are charged with reproducing trade secrets and destroying evidence.

AI demand drives chip prices higher, lifts Samsung, Micron: Chipmakers have shifted production towards high-bandwidth memory for AI servers, reducing supply for other products such as flash chips for USB drives and smartphones. Some memory chip prices have more than doubled since February 2025.

Nvidia debuts open-source AI tools for autonomous vehicles: Alpamayo is a suite of open-source AI models, simulation tools, and datasets to support autonomous vehicle (AV) development. Nvidia said its new tools can be adapted for use in AV stacks and may help accelerate level 4 autonomy.

AI

AI adoption in Southeast Asia: Balancing automation gains with the rising threat of cyberattacks: As AI and edge automation scale across Southeast Asia, enterprises must secure distributed infrastructure against AI-driven and quantum-era threats.

Why AI startups across Southeast Asia are shipping themselves into churn: AI startups in the region ship rapidly, but users can’t keep up. The resulting velocity-comprehension gap erodes trust, predictability, and retention—unless founders slow changes, align UX, and communicate mental models.

The Agency: AI-augmented development in action: A solo founder plus seven AI agents built a near-beta e-commerce platform in eight days, proving AI agencies enable choreography, faster decisions, scalable product development, and a new team model.

Singapore’s workforce is facing its biggest reset yet and AI is forcing the shift: From finance to creative roles and frontline operations, AI tools are increasingly woven into daily workflows. Yet a growing gap remains between the pace of adoption and the readiness of the workforce to use these tools effectively.

The dawn of housing abundance: Why AI will collapse construction costs by 90%: A full supply-chain analysis shows AI and robotics could slash construction costs 70-90%, cut build times 75%, and shift housing scarcity from economics to policy through labour and energy automation.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Meta × Manus: The misread AI deal: Meta bought Manus not for smarter models, but for execution scars—hard-won reliability, failure recovery, and trust at scale—avoiding reputational risk of relearning real-world agent mistakes across billions of users globally.

How startups and VCs can propel Indonesia’s energy transition: Amid climate urgency, ASEAN’s digital growth is driving surging energy demand, especially in Indonesia, creating a massive opportunity for renewable energy, data centres, and climate-tech entrepreneurs to replace fossil fuels.

Asia’s US$4T tokenisation boom: Why the region will lead the global financial revolution by 2030: Asia is leading tokenisation by pairing mobile-first markets with regulation to move programmable finance into production.

How to use blockchain to fund and create a greener future: With a blockchain-based recycling programme, one can earn tokens in exchange for dropping off recyclables like plastic containers, cans, and bottles. It’s already working in Northern Europe.

Stop making it yours, make it everyone’s victory: The founder’s greatest role is not to be the smartest person in the room, but to be the Chief Stakeholder Manager, who ensures that every essential person is maximally motivated because they know, without doubt, that your company’s success translates directly into their success.

The classroom: An untapped testbed for human-centric AI: As SEA works to build strong AI ecosystems, responsible edutech is poised to become a foundation for long-term digital growth. The World Economic Forum finds that technology skills, including AI, are expected to see rapid growth in demand.

Creating sustainable futures: The vision of steady-state societies and still cities: Discover the transformative vision of steady-state societies and still cities, and how they can create sustainable futures for our planet and communities.

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i10X, a Singapore-based startup that enables users to access the world’s most powerful AI models through a single platform, has raised US$1 million in a pre-seed funding round.

The capital injection was led by a group of early-stage investors, including Iterative, Antler AI Disrupt, and PPR Ventures, marking a significant milestone for the startup as it seeks to scale its product and operational infrastructure.

Also Read: The AI revolution in emerging markets: Local models, global impact

The startup intends to utilise the newly raised funds to accelerate product development, expand its technical infrastructure, and support team growth. While headquartered in Singapore, i10X also maintains an office in Berlin, reflecting its ambitions for an international footprint.

Founded by Patrick Linden (co-founder of match.asia and Deep Green Group), Rene Linden (founder of Blue Zone Tech GmbH and co-founder of Deep Green Group), and Pawel Netreba (co-founder of Bfab and former executive at Foodpanda), i10X operates as a unified AI workspace, allowing users to access a diverse range of AI capabilities through a single interface.

The platform currently aggregates more than 500 specialised AI agents and integrates major foundational models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

The pre-seed round validates i10X’s approach as a “meta-layer” for AI tools, addressing fragmentation in subscriptions and workflows. It positions the startup to scale in a competitive Singapore hub, where AI investments are surging, with plans for infrastructure growth and team expansion.

In terms of market positioning, i10X claims to serve 100,000+ users.
This early traction highlights its potential to capture market share from siloed providers.

Also Read: The AI-first era: Why the model is the new runtime and how Asia can lead

i10X disrupts AI access by bundling top models like GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok, plus specialised agents for tasks like SEO, code review, and image generation, into one US$25/month workspace. Users conserve up to 90 per cent on costs compared to US$385/month for separate subscriptions, eliminating logins and tab-switching for seamless productivity. Features like real-time model comparisons and unlimited usage target professionals, creators, and startups, simplifying adoption beyond tech-savvy users.​

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Singapore’s ambition to remain Asia’s premier digital hub has entered a decisive new phase. Following the government’s announcement of a 700 MW low-carbon data centre park on Jurong Island, attention has turned to how the city-state will balance soaring AI-driven demand with constraints around power, land, and sustainability.

For developers and investors, the question is no longer whether a data centre in Singapore makes sense, but how to secure a viable foothold in one of the world’s most competitive markets.

The latest 2025 Data Centre Construction Cost Report by Turner & Townsend underscores the scale of the challenge. AI workloads are rapidly redefining infrastructure requirements, pushing power density from the historical 3–4 kW per rack to well over 100 kW per rack. This shift has direct cost implications, with capital expenditure rising between 20 and 40 per cent due to the need for advanced cooling systems and more robust electrical infrastructure.

Yet despite these pressures, Singapore continues to attract hyperscalers and institutional capital. At US$14.53 per watt, it is now the world’s second most expensive market for building. Cost alone, however, does not tell the whole story.

“Singapore has been a data centre hub for many, many years,” said Sumit Mukherjee, head of data centre cost management for Asia at Turner & Townsend, in an interview with e27. “Certainly, as it relates to the Asia Pacific region, Singapore was one of the early movers in terms of the data centre sector.”

Also Read: Why AI startups across Southeast Asia are shipping themselves into churn

Fundamentals have reinforced that early-mover advantage that few regional peers can match. Singapore’s dense network of subsea cables, cloud on-ramps, and carrier-neutral facilities has cemented its status as a digital crossroads for Asia.

“Singapore is incredibly well connected,” Mukherjee said. “It is the digital hub in the true sense, and it’s a position that it looks to protect very seriously.”

Policy stability is another differentiator. Over the past decade, Singapore has maintained a relatively consistent and transparent regulatory stance on data centres, even as it introduced moratoriums and tighter controls to manage energy use.

“The predictability of Singapore is almost a bigger factor than cost,” Mukherjee noted. “Clients feel very confident that if they’re there, they’ve got long-term stability and sustained revenues.”

This predictability is increasingly critical as developers contend with power access challenges. While Jurong Island’s new park signals a controlled expansion of capacity, lead times for critical equipment can stretch from nine to 18 months. Power readiness has become a strategic advantage rather than an operational detail.

“Operators are now engaging with regulators and utility companies at the absolute earliest stages of land development and design,” Mukherjee said. Instead of designing first and seeking power later, developers are adopting a bottom-up approach—shaping facilities around what power can realistically be secured.

Also Read: The Agency: AI-augmented development in action

Crucially, sustainability has moved to the centre of these discussions. “The conversation has been less about the data centre itself, and more around the sustainable power strategy,” he said.

Regulators are scrutinising power usage effectiveness targets, low-carbon cooling methods, and ESG roadmaps before granting approvals. Those with credible sustainability strategies are finding it easier to unlock grid access.

AI is also reshaping how data centres in Singapore are designed and built. Where a one-megawatt facility was once considered significant, projects are now being planned at hundreds of megawatts, and even approaching the gigawatt scale. This has accelerated the industry’s shift towards modular engineering and prefabricated mechanical and electrical systems.

“Clients are now seeking hundreds of megawatts of capacity pretty much instantly,” Mukherjee said. Modular construction, he added, enables operators to deliver capacity more quickly, with greater precision and reduced on-site complexity.

Alongside this, innovation in liquid cooling—particularly water-based systems—is becoming essential. “Ultimately, water-cooled is the only way in which you can cool AI data centres,” he said, pointing to rapid advances in both performance and cost efficiency.

Speed to market has emerged as a defining competitive advantage. Prefabrication, standardised modules, and plug-and-play systems can significantly cut installation time, a critical factor in a market where demand continues to outstrip supply. “If you can get that pre-built and brought and plugged in and played, even at the largest scales, it’s going to bring efficiency and speed,” Mukherjee said.

Also Read: AI adoption in Southeast Asia: Balancing automation gains with the rising threat of cyberattacks

Despite rising costs, the outlook is not one of unchecked inflation. Mukherjee described the sector as moving towards “a new normal” rather than overheating. While demand-supply gaps persist, he does not expect year-on-year cost spikes of 50 or 60 per cent. Instead, the industry is in a transformative phase driven by AI, higher power densities, and resource scarcity.

Stabilisation, he suggested, is more likely over a three- to five-year horizon.

For Singapore, the challenge lies in sustaining its leadership while operating within hard constraints. Limited land, finite power, and stringent carbon goals mean growth will be measured rather than explosive. Yet these same constraints have forced a level of sophistication that investors value.

“On face value, it is an expensive market,” Mukherjee said. “But equally, it’s a very stable market for clients in terms of returns and investments.”

As AI reshapes global digital infrastructure, Singapore’s approach—anchored in policy clarity, sustainability, and long-term planning—may prove to be its greatest asset. For operators seeking a resilient base in Asia, the proposition of a data centre in Singapore remains compelling, not despite the costs, but because of what those costs help secure: predictability, performance, and a platform built for the next decade of growth.

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Image Credit: Turner & Townsend

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Taiwanese venture capital firm AppWorks has announced the final closing of its fourth flagship fund at US$165 million, bringing its total capital raised to US$386 million.

AppWorks Fund IV represents a significant milestone in regional financial integration, marking the first time that

Major sovereign limited partners (LPs) from Taiwan, Malaysia, and South Korea invested in the fund. The names include Taiwan’s National Development Fund, Malaysia’s Jelawang Capital (a national fund-of-funds under Khazanah Nasional), and the Korea Venture Investment Corporation (KVIC).

Also Read: AppWorks showcases startups rewiring mobility, finance, AI and food supply chains

Other prominent institutional and corporate investors participating in the fund include Fubon Life, Taiwan Mobile, Wistron, Phison, and E Ink.

Market recalibration and disciplined deployment

The fundraising journey for Fund IV began in late 2022 with an original target of US$360 million. However, the firm chose to reassess this figure following the US Federal Reserve’s transition into a tightening cycle, which triggered global market corrections and a broader recalibration of the venture capital landscape.

After integrating feedback from LPs and monitoring market signals, AppWorks optimised the fund size to US$165 million. The firm stated this revised scale allows for more disciplined deployment into “high-conviction opportunities” emerging from its regional ecosystem during what is expected to be a compelling venture vintage.

Fuelling a pan-Asian “venture flywheel”

Since its inception in 2009, AppWorks has cultivated a massive founder community comprising 2,086 entrepreneurs and 653 active startups, which have collectively created 28,256 jobs across the region. Since 2017, the firm has sharpened its focus on AI and Web3, currently supporting 128 active AI startups and 146 live Web3 projects.

The firm’s strategy has increasingly shifted towards a pan-Asian footprint; approximately 70 per cent of founders in the 14 most recent accelerator batches now originate from outside Taiwan. According to the firm, this “ecosystem-first” approach has already yielded significant results, with the firm’s 2014 vintage Fund II delivering a 1.9x DPI, placing it within the top-quartile of global venture funds.

AppWorks’s proprietary pipeline has previously backed early-stage category leaders that have become household names in Southeast Asia and beyond, including Lalamove, Carousell, ShopBack, Animoca Brands, 91APP, and KKday.

Bridging deeptech and commercialisation

The fund aims to act as a bridge between Taiwan’s deeptech and manufacturing strengths and the commercial savvy of founders in markets like Malaysia and South Korea. By connecting corporate LPs with visionary founders, AppWorks facilitates the co-development of products in frontier sectors.

Also Read: AppWorks turns 15: Showcasing SEA’s next-gen AI, Web3, deep tech startups

A notable example of this synergy is the partnership between Taiwan Mobile and USPACE (an AppWorks alumnus), which resulted in the launch of an EV-charging service that utilised AppWorks’s network to expand into Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan.

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The retail industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by changing consumer expectations and the rapid expansion of the digital economy. This year’s e-Conomy SEA 2024 report highlights the region’s robust digital economy, which is projected to grow by 15 per cent year-over-year, reaching US$263 billion. Revenues have seen a 14 per cent increase, with forecasts indicating they will reach US$89 billion in 2024.

This growth underscores how digitalisation is reshaping the retail landscape, creating new ways for businesses to connect with consumers. For today’s shoppers, the ability to choose where and how they shop is non-negotiable.

Shoppers demand seamless, personalised experiences, and the lines between online and in-store shopping are fading fast. This new era of retail brings both opportunities and challenges as retailers strive to meet heightened expectations while maintaining operational efficiency.

A recent global shopper study by Zebra Technologies revealed a shift in shopper satisfaction. While consumer spending remains steady, shopper satisfaction is declining. In the Asia Pacific region, satisfaction with in-store shopping dropped from 81 per cent in 2023 to 78 per cent in 2024, and online satisfaction fell from 80 per cent to 75 per cent.

Meanwhile, 78 per cent of shoppers favour retailers with an omni-channel presence, and 78 per cent of shoppers prefer to shop with e-retailers that also have brick-and-mortar shops. Shoppers no longer see online shopping as a mere alternative but expect a seamless integration across different channels.

The new retail reality: Greater variety, greater complexity

Modern shoppers arrive at the store informed and expect retail associates to provide value beyond transactions through personalised insights and tailored recommendations. According to Zebra’s study, around 77 per cent of APAC shoppers are more likely to try and purchase items when retailers demonstrate an understanding of their preferences.

Offering consumers more choices come at a cost. Services like buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS), same-day locker pickups, and on-demand delivery have become essential offerings, but delivering these conveniences often complicates backend operations. With the proliferation of an increasingly popular ‘spend-and-return’ culture, retailers today need to spend more time and resources than usual to ensure that the back-of-house operations run smoothly.

Eighty-five percent of APAC retailers and associates reported challenges with both click-and-collect and returns options, citing challenges to confirm current inventory and pricing. Coupled with persistent labor shortages and inventory losses, these challenges risk slowing operations and disappointing customers.

Without better ways to handle this increased workload, organisations may end up experiencing stockouts, inefficiencies, and a loss of productivity—which ironically could lead to fewer choices and a poorer shopping experience.

Also Read: Cybersecurity for retail: How to avoid e-crimes

Bridging the gap with modern retail technology 

Retailers can address today’s toughest challenges with advanced retail technologies such AI-augmented mobile computers, connected RFID readers, and cloud-based workforce management systems without comprising efficiency. Research shows that modern RFID readers can improve inventory accuracy and reduce stockouts while lowering costs and boosting revenue.

Additionally, another research affirmed that retail management software enhances retail operations by providing businesses with automation capabilities, improved collaboration, and enhanced visibility.

Here’s how retailers can best use these technologies.

• Enhancing inventory visibility and fulfilment efficiency

Modern technologies like RFID scanners and mobile printers are transforming retail operations by dramatically accelerating productivity at the back-of-house, allowing businesses to better deal with the rapid pace of omni-channel sales and returns.

These devices collect data that provide complete, real-time view of inventories across the organisation, thereby optimising returns and ensuring products are where customers expect them to be, at all times.

Even taking baby steps with modern retail solutions can yield significant efficiency gains. For example, Malaysia’s largest prescription pharmacy chain, recently improved its capacity to fulfil e-commerce orders by five times and efficiency of fulfilment by 80 per cent just by deploying modern mobile computers and RFID sled readers.

• Empower retail associates with data-driven tools

Retail associates are pivotal to the omni-channel shopping experience, but they need the right tools to meet modern demands. Equipping them with modern devices like mobile computers and wearables, enables them to accelerate pickups and returns, reduce wait and checkout times, or make more informed decisions during service recovery.

According to Zebra’s study, 41 per cent of APAC retailers believe that Generative AI (Gen AI) will have an extremely significant impact on inventory management and demand forecasting.

Also Read: How to use Gen AI enabled chatbots for workplace safety?

Gen AI on these devices also further enhances productivity by providing employees with real-time personalised information. From summaries of return policies governing BORIS for specific lineups, to tailored product recommendations for in-store customers, Gen AI empowers retail associates to add a personal touch to every interaction.

Additionally, giving shoppers their own mobile shopping devices can elevate the customer experience. A Sri Lankan supermarket chain with 130 supermarkets conveniently located across the country, recently deployed such devices in-store, which enabled their shoppers to scan items as they shop and get recommendations on promotions – leading to reduced wait times and increased operational efficiency.

• Transform data into actionable insights

Businesses can leverage modern retail management software to fully harness the potential of the data collected by devices across the store. By using AI-driven predictive insights from historical data, retailers can better forecast demand, stay ahead of market trends, streamline stocktaking processes, and improve loss prevention.

Future-proofing for an evolving landscape

The retail sector continues to evolve, shaped by the expectations of emerging generations and their demand for hyper-personalised, seamless experiences. To stay ahead of these changes, retailers must future-proof their operations by adopting modern retail technologies, including AI-powered software, connected devices, and advanced data analytics.

These solutions not only enhance efficiency today but also enable retailers to anticipate and respond to the trends and preferences of tomorrow’s consumers. By embracing these innovations, businesses can remain agile, resilient, and prepared for the next wave of retail transformation.

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Image courtesy: DALL-E

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Former Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim has been formally indicted over alleged corruption linked to a large-scale Chromebook procurement programme, with prosecutors claiming the scheme caused state losses of approximately US$125 million.

The indictment was read on 5 January 2026 at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court (Tipikor) and centres on the purchase of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) software as part of Indonesia’s national education digitalisation push during Makarim’s tenure from 2019 to 2024.

Also Read: Inside Indonesia’s US$610M Chromebook scandal: Raids, arrests, and Nadiem Makarim under scrutiny

Alleged state losses and procurement failures

According to prosecutors, the losses stemmed from two primary sources. About US$93 million was allegedly caused by inflated Chromebook pricing, while a further US$37 million was spent on CDM software that prosecutors said was unnecessary and delivered no tangible benefit to the ministry.

These findings were confirmed by an audit conducted in November 2025 by the Indonesian Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

The prosecution argued that the procurement process between 2019 and 2022 failed to meet basic planning and procurement standards. Crucially, the devices were found to be essentially unusable in Indonesia’s so-called “3T” regions (frontier, outermost, and remote areas) due to inadequate infrastructure.

The court heard that Chromebooks and the accompanying software were rolled out without a comprehensive needs assessment, reliable field surveys, or proper price benchmarking, particularly for schools in underserved regions.

Allegations of personal enrichment

Prosecutors further alleged that the scheme personally enriched Makarim, co-founder of Gojek, by approximately US$48.5 million. The procurement was carried out through official e-catalogues and the School Procurement Information System (SIPLah), but allegedly without mandatory reference pricing or robust price evaluations.

He is accused of acting in concert with several officials and external parties, including Sri Wahyuningsih, former Director of Primary Schools; Mulyatsyah, former Director of Junior High Schools; Ibrahim Arief, a consultant; and Jurist Tan, a former special staff member who is currently a fugitive.

Makarim faces charges under Articles 2 and 3 of Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Law, in conjunction with the Criminal Code, which carry heavy penalties for abuse of authority resulting in state losses. Court observers noted that Nadiem appeared to smile while the indictment was read.

A case years in the making

The indictment marks a key milestone in a long-running investigation that intensified in mid-2025. Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office launched a formal probe in May 2025, examining dozens of witnesses involved in Chromebook procurements valued at nearly US$600 million overall.

Indonesia names Nadiem Makarim a suspect in laptop procurement corruption case

Makarim publicly denied wrongdoing in June 2025, defending the use of Chromebooks as a cost-effective solution for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was later questioned as a witness, barred from overseas travel, and named a suspect in September 2025 before being detained.

Multiple trial delays followed, including a postponement in December 2025 due to Makarim’s post-surgery recovery, before proceedings resumed in January.

Separately, Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is reportedly examining a related procurement involving Google Cloud services, in which Makarim has been listed as a potential suspect.

The trial is set to continue with the examination of evidence related to weak data support, flawed procurement practices, and the failure of the digital education initiative to reach Indonesia’s most vulnerable students.

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Buy&Ship, a cross-border e-commerce enabler based in Hong Kong, has announced the first close of its Series C funding round, raising US$12 million.

The Series C round saw participation from a diverse group of investors, including MLC Ventures (Mitsubishi Logistics Corp. Ventures), DLK Advisory, and Hong Kong-listed company MemeStrategy. Existing investors Cool Japan Fund and Altara Ventures also provided strong follow-on support.

Also Read: The thesis for cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia

The investment is designed to accelerate the company’s mission to automate the global e-commerce value chain through the use of AI and pursue strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

The funding arrives amid a period of significant growth for the startup, which focuses on eliminating the complexities of international shopping, such as customs documentation and high logistics costs. The company has reported a 100 per cent year-on-year growth in proxy-shopping revenue, primarily driven by its integration with Mercari, Japan’s largest C2C online marketplace.

In Southeast Asia, a key focus for the firm, Buy&Ship recorded more than 100 per cent year-on-year revenue growth in Singapore. Its presence in Taiwan also saw a revenue increase of over 60 per cent, bolstered by the introduction of direct shipping services from Japan to Taiwan.

To date, the platform claims to have amassed 3 million registered global users across 12 countries and regions, having handled more than 100 million packages.

Proprietary technology and AI integration

Established in 2014, Buy&Ship positions itself as a technology-first player rather than a traditional freight forwarder. Its integrated tech stack includes an AI-powered discovery engine that utilises Large Language Models (LLMs) to act as a virtual shopping assistant, surfacing global product opportunities for users.

Also Read: 5 trends shaping the cross-border trade landscape

The backend of the operation is supported by automated guided vehicle (AGV)-powered warehouses and intelligent logistics AI, designed to optimise delivery routes and auto-fill complex customs forms in real-time.

Buy&Ship, which operates 11 overseas warehouses, has so far raised approximately US$34.2 million across multiple rounds, which also include a US$16 million funding announced in June 2024.

Roadmap to public listing

The fresh capital will be utilised to deepen AI integration across the platform and embark on an aggressive expansion into the United States market. Furthermore, the company has confirmed it is initiating preparations for a public listing.

Sheldon Li, co-founder and CEO of Buy&Ship, stated: “This funding isn’t just capital; it’s rocket fuel for our mission to make the world’s products available to anyone, anywhere. With the strategic backing of investors, we will fast-track our AI optimisation to deliver a truly seamless cross-border shopping journey, enabling consumers to effortlessly access premium products. We are building the next-generation global e-commerce platform consumers deserve.”

Investor insights

Reflecting on the challenges of the current market, Dave Ng, General Partner at Altara Ventures, said: “Consumers are savvy global shoppers these days, with high expectations on the experiences they will receive when buying online. This makes cross border commerce even more challenging but presents a very exciting opportunity.”

Also Read: SEA’s e-commerce giants hit profitability: What it means for region’s digital future

“Buy&Ship is at the forefront of cross border innovation and they now play an even more important role in the brave new world of global tariffs. Integrating AI and technology into their business and operational expertise, Buy&Ship is leading the market in taking creative approaches to delivering delightful shopping experiences to users across Southeast Asia and beyond,” Ng added.

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