APC commits to energy efficiency in Singapore

APC launches the first Energy Efficient Solutions Center in its new premises to demonstrate better power management for IT infrastructure

Singapore, April 3, 2008 - APC, a global leader in integrated critical power and cooling services, announces the first Energy Efficient Solutions Center in its new 25,000 square feet premises at Techpoint, Ang Mo Kio in Singapore. This is a significant step towards its expansion and commitment to energy conservation, and contributing towards the national aim of promoting an energy efficient Singapore.

According to Gartner¹, energy costs will emerge as the second-highest operating cost (behind labor costs) in 70% of existing data center facilities worldwide by 2009. Improper planning of energy management, especially for data centers, can dramatically increase operation costs, decrease performance of the facility, as well as increasing the risk of downtime.

APC has proven its commitment and leadership in energy efficiency initiatives by building the first-of-its-kind “APC Energy Efficient Solutions Center” in Southeast Asia. It enables business visitors and partners to have a practical ”hands-on” experience and to easily visualize ”what-if” design scenarios, taking into consideration factors such as power consumption, costs, expected hardware usage and current regulations, before committing to any IT infrastructure investment in their own companies.

The Solutions Center integrates various solutions from Schneider Electric companies including APC InfraStruXure data centre solutions, TAC building management system, Schneider Electric power monitoring system and CLIPSAL lighting control system.

Mr George Kong, ASEAN Vice President, APC, said, “We look forward to bringing our expertise in building an energy efficient enterprise to companies in Southeast Asia through this Solutions Center. Our initiatives support the nation’s drive to improve energy efficiencies, such as the Energy Efficiency Programme Office set up by the National Environment Agency in Singapore.

 “The proof of the pudding is in the eating and we are providing the Solutions Center as a platform for companies to familiarize with advanced concepts in power and cooling management that will help them save energy costs by up to 30% and future-proof their hardware investments.”

The APC Energy Efficient Solutions Center is located within the new APC office, in the same building as its parent company, Schneider Electric. The new office is about half the size of a football field.

The larger space enables APC to build a Solutions Center, dedicated to increasing the awareness and adoption of energy efficient systems for IT infrastructures in both local and foreign companies, especially data centers that demand high energy consumption due to power and cooling needs. According to IDC², over the next five years, the expense to power and cool the worldwide installed base of servers is projected to grow four times compared with the growth rate for new server spending. IDC expects server power and cooling costs to increase at an 11.2% CAGR to $44.5 billion over the forecast period. This expense is equal to 70% of the overall new server spending in 2010.

The official opening of the APC Energy Efficient Solutions Centre will be held on 3 April 2008 at the new APC office, and graced by Guest-of-Honor, Mr Jean-Luc Anglada, President of French Chamber of Commerce, and Mr Laurent Vernerey, President and CEO of APC. 

“We are living in a world with an escalating demand for computing and storage facilities. This inevitably leads to a detrimental increase in energy consumption over the years. I am delighted to see APC, a leader in its field, taking a bold step forward in the promotion of energy efficiency in IT infrastructures in Singapore, “ says Mr Jean-Luc Anglada, President of French Chamber of Commerce.

“We are pleased that APC has chosen Singapore to build the first Energy Efficient Solutions Center in Asia. We applaud APC for taking the lead and making a contribution to strengthen our national drive to improve energy efficiency,” says Mr Lee Yuen Hee, Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency, Singapore.

Some corporate customers in Singapore who are already partnering or working with APC and MGE to streamline their power and cooling at their data centers include Ascendas, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Daiwa Securities, Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers, Reuters, Sanofi Aventis, Sentosa Leisure Group and Tokyo Marine.

1 Gartner, Dec 2006: Meeting the Data Center Power and Cooling Challenge

2 IDC, Sep 2006: Worldwide Server Power and Cooling Expense 2006-2010 Forecast

About APC

APC by Schneider Electric, a global leader in critical power and cooling services, provides industry leading product, software and systems for home, office, data center and factory floor applications.  Backed by the strength, experience, and wide network of Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services, APC delivers well planned, flawlessly installed and maintained solutions throughout their lifecycle.  Through its unparalleled commitment to innovation, APC delivers pioneering, energy efficient solutions for critical technology and industrial applications.  In 2007, Schneider Electric acquired APC and combined it with MGE UPS Systems to form Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services Business Unit, which recorded 2007 revenue of $3.5 billion (€2.4 billion) and employed 12,000 people worldwide.  APC solutions include uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), precision cooling units, racks, physical security and design and management software, including APC's InfraStruXure® architecture the industry’s most comprehensive integrated power, cooling, and management solution.  Schneider Electric, with 120,000 employees and operations in 102 countries, had 2007 annual sales of $25 billion (€17.3 billion). For more information on APC, please visit www.apc.com.  All trademarks are the property of their owners.

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American Power Conversion

Joycelyn Longue                                                                                

Marketing Manager, Singapore                                    

American Power Conversion                                                   

Tel: (65) 6389-68889                              

Email:joycelyn.longue@apcc.com