Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is expanding its Innovation Centre in Singapore, as the building technologies group steps up its focus on sustainable data centre solutions across the Asia Pacific.

The expansion comes as demand for high-efficiency thermal management rises alongside rapid growth in hyperscale data centres, driven by AI and cloud adoption across the region.

The firm plans to invest up to $60 million in the Singapore Innovation Centre over the next five years and expand its engineering workforce there to between 90 and 100 roles. 

This investment will focus on advancing thermal management capabilities, developing next-generation cooling systems through partnerships, and strengthening smart connectivity and digitalisation to improve efficiency, resilience, and uptime across data centre operations.

Data centre capacity in the Asia Pacific is expected to increase sharply as organisations invest to support digitalisation. 

The region accounts for about 30% of global data centre capacity. In Singapore, data centres are estimated to consume around 7% of national electricity demand, a figure projected to rise to 12% by 2030, placing greater emphasis on energy-efficient infrastructure and cooling technologies. 

“As AI workloads surge and data centres demand more energy, sustainability has become an imperative,” said Anu Rathninde, president, Asia-Pacific, Johnson Controls.

The expanded Innovation Centre in Singapore will support hyperscalers and colocation providers seeking to cut carbon emissions while maintaining performance at scale, and reflects its long-term investment in Singapore as a hub for its Asia Pacific strategy and wider work across Southeast Asia, Rathninde continued. 

Cindy Koh, executive vice president at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said the expansion will add capabilities and jobs in sustainable building solutions in Singapore, with data centres a key growth area, and signals the company’s confidence in Singapore’s talent base to develop and scale solutions for regional demand.

Johnson Controls supplies building technologies, software, and services, including systems used in sectors such as data centres, manufacturing, and more.

The company is also developing its OpenBlue building management platform and a Cooling-as-a-Service offering, and has run proof-of-concept projects with local universities and commercial partners to improve digitalisation and cooling efficiency.