Singtel's regional data centre arm Nxera and its industry partners plan to train and hire more than 500 people in Singapore over six months to fill roles across the growing digital infrastructure sector.
They will hire fresh graduates and mid-career professionals in technical and non-technical functions such as data centre consultancy, design, engineering, operations (including finance and development) and sustainability. This will be done through internships, graduate programmes, work-study and full-time roles.
Nxera CEO Bill Chang says his company is likely to take the lion’s share of the 500 new hires. “But we can't take all because we need to make sure our supply chain has some talent; otherwise, they cannot build [related] products [and services that are innovative],” he says.
Nxera’s push comes amid a regional race to build capacity for artificial intelligence (AI). Yet a shortage of skilled workers threatens to become a bottleneck.
“There’s a paradox today: One side of AI says [the technology is] going to disrupt jobs or cause job losses but the other side [which is players like us building AI infrastructure] needs talent. So it’s about channelling people [and ensuring they have] the new skill sets to [help providers] build such a sophisticated new generation of AI data centres,” says Chang.
He adds: “We need fresh thinkers to design, develop, operate and maintain these critical infrastructure facilities. The talent has to be creative problem solvers and sustainability champions as well. This isn’t an industry for engineers alone. It is an industry with room for people from all backgrounds.”
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An ecosystem approach to closing the talent gap
Nxera’s new training and hiring initiative aims to close the talent gap. It supports the TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and Polytechnics Alliance (TIP Alliance) led by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and co-chaired by the Singapore Computer Society and SGTech. The alliance aims to enhance employment outcomes for polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates by facilitating job placement and structured talent development pathways.
Nxera is also offering a direct route into its Work-Study Degree Programme with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) for graduates.
At Nxera’s inaugural Sustainable AI Data Centre Career Day, Senior Minister for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How highlights the importance of initiatives like this in preparing workers for an AI-powered future.
"AI will certainly transform and disrupt many industry sectors. That is without a doubt. But in Singapore, we have an ecosystem, partners available here to ensure that every one of our Singaporean workers have the best opportunities to seize new and exciting opportunities in a digital future. By working closely with industry players and educational institutions, we have developed training programmes that are tightly aligned with industry needs," he says.
He adds that through the TIP Alliance, more than 1,000 quality tech jobs have been committed to ITE and polytechnic graduates since 2022, and over 1,300 students have completed year-long internships. Employment outcomes have improved as a result.
Since the company’s launch in January 2024, Nxera has been focusing on developing talent for the data centre industry with ecosystem partners.
It established the Sustainable AI Data Centre Academy in collaboration with institutes of higher learning (IHL) in Singapore to close the talent gap, particularly in emerging areas like sustainability and high-density AI environments. The academy integrates hands-on learning with asynchronous modules into existing diploma, undergraduate and ITE courses. Mid-career professionals can also tap into upskilling pathways that include stackable, competency-based micro-credentials and mentoring from industry experts.
Moreover, Nxera is upskilling its existing workforce in AI operations and sustainability.
It co-developed training courses with SIT, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and ITE. This includes a customised Data Centre Essentials programme, which has already completed five successful runs and is now a core part of the company’s corporate training. Chang says nearly 50% of Nxera’s workforce has already been trained through these initiatives.
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Nxera estimates that more than 1,000 professionals across the ecosystem in Singapore could be trained through all these initiatives.
Chang believes these talent development efforts could eventually be replicated across the region. While Singaporean staff can help fill specialised roles in Nxera’s overseas data centres, he says core operational tasks must be managed locally.
“We are like the feeder house, but at the same time, we have to be realistic. We can send Singaporeans to fill in the deep expertise gap in our regional data centres, but we would have to tap into the local market to fill all other roles. So at some point, you’ll hear us doing the same thing in those markets — working with local IHLs to upskill local talent,” says Chang, before adding that such moves would also open the door for Nxera’s Singapore education partners to collaborate and transfer knowledge to their counterparts across the region.
Centres of Intelligence
Soaring demand for AI and digital services is fuelling a regional buildout of data centres. In Nxera’s case, it is developing four AI data centres across Southeast Asia with regional partners and is planning further expansion in response to customer demand.
“Instead of referring to them as data centres, I would liken them to Centres of Intelligence which accelerate innovation and transform enterprises, industries and economies through the power of AI,” he says. These facilities are purpose-built to handle massive, high-density AI workloads reliably and sustainably.
Among them is DC Tuas in Singapore, scheduled to open in early 2026. According to Chang, it will be one of the largest liquid-cooled AI data centres in Asia, with a power density of up to 150kW per rack, and among the lowest Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) scores in the region at below 1.25. The facility will also feature an integrated submarine cable landing station to ensure strong regional and global connectivity.
Moreover, Nxera’s AI data centres are equipped with direct-to-chip liquid cooling, advanced telemetry, and a predictive digital platform to monitor critical systems and reduce risks of hardware damage.
“Nxera AI data centres are all about deep science to manage heat transfers and [associated] thermal dynamics, sophisticated engineering with all the sensorised smart equipment, and advanced digital platforms with predictive and proactive management capabilities to handle critical events,” says Chang.
The company also plans to power all its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2028, and is helping customers reduce their own emissions by using more efficient, AI-optimised infrastructure.
More than half of DC Tuas’s capacity has already been pre-sold. Customers include tech firms, such as hyperscalers from the US and China, as well as local enterprises, shares Chang.
Demand is driven in part by data sovereignty requirements and Singapore’s position as a strategic digital hub. “Our data centres in Singapore are meant for data sovereignty needs. If a cloud company has local customers that require data to be stored in-country, then they need to build their cloud infrastructure here and that drives demand for data centres,” explains Chang.
He adds: “Singapore is a major digital and business hub. Many multinational corporations (MNCs) are headquartered here, which brings sovereign data requirements. What also makes Singapore attractive is its abundant connectivity: submarine cable landing stations, robust internal infrastructure, and nationwide 5G networks. Many MNCs with headquarters here will therefore still choose to [use data centres in Singapore for] data sovereignty and latency-sensitive workloads.”
Chang also confirms that Nxera is participating in Singapore’s upcoming Call for Applications (CFA) for new data centre capacity. “We’re putting forward a strong proposition as to why we should be considered, and we hope to secure some of the allocation,” he says.
As at 12pm, shares in Singtel are trading 5 cents lower or 1.21% down at $4.09.
