Data center command hub keeps AI up and running

The article focuses on human operators in Singapore managing data center stability. Digital Realty's command center relies on individuals like Daniel Naing, 37, to interpret alerts and prevent outages. This contradicts the common narrative of AI fully automating critical infrastructure, showing human expertise remains vital for complex systems.

Asia's growing demand for AI tools drives a massive buildout of data centers. Serene Nah, Digital Realty's head of Asia Pacific, notes public misunderstanding of these facilities' environmental impact. This perception challenge could slow necessary infrastructure development in markets like Singapore, where land and energy are already constrained. The region needs clearer communication on sustainable data center practices.

The critical test for Digital Realty and rivals like Equinix is proving that human oversight scales effectively with AI's accelerating demands. Terence Tang, head of the Asia Pacific global command center, states human intervention is still needed to filter false positives from AI or automation. Watch for how rapidly AI tools improve their accuracy in identifying genuine outages, reducing reliance on manual verification, by early 2027.