Suggest a correction

Content

Public consultation on Digital Infrastructure Bill on Security of Digital Infrastructure Services and Environmental Sustainability of Data Centre Operations

Match the official source exactly.

What needs fixing?

Wrong or mistyped textWrong structure or numberingWrong title or detailsDuplicated content

Proposed text

Singapore Client Update                                                                                      JULY 2026

1
© RAJAH & TANN SINGAPORE LLP
CORPORATE REAL ESTATE | SUSTAINABILITY | TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Public Consultation on Digital
Infrastructure Bill on Security of Digital
Infrastructure Services and Environmental
Sustainability of Data Centre Operations
Introduction

Digital infrastructure services such as Data Centre ("DC") Facility Services and Cloud Computing
Services play a key role in Singapore's burgeoning digital economy. Given their importance, Singapore is looking to establish a statutory framework to ensure that providers take measures to protect their security and resilience. The framework also aims to ensure that regulated DC operators meet baseline environmental sustainability requirements, in light of their environmental footprint and intensive use of resources.

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Infocomm Media Development Authority
("IMDA") have, on 1 July 2026, published a draft Digital Infrastructure Bill ("Bill"). The draft Bill is open for public consultation until 22 July 2026. It seeks to achieve the following:

1. Ensure that providers of major DC Facility Services and Cloud Computing Services take measures to maintain an adequate level of security and resilience;
2. Enhance regulatory visibility of cybersecurity incidents and service delivery disruptions affecting major DC Facility Services and Cloud Computing Services; and
3. Impose and uplift baseline environmental sustainability standards across the DC sector.

This Update highlights the key features of the draft Bill, including the following:

1. Introduction of a new licensing regime and regulatory framework for major foundational digital infrastructure ("FDI") service providers;
2. Introduction of a new licensing regime and regulatory framework for DC Operators; and
3. Empowering IMDA to administer and enforce the regimes.

FDI Framework

The Bill introduces a new licensing regime and regulatory framework for providers of major FDI services to users in Singapore.

Scope

A major FDI service is defined as a digital infrastructure service: (i) of which the loss or impairment is likely to lead to widespread disruption or deterioration of the operations of businesses or organisations in Singapore; and (ii) which is specified in the Schedule of the Bill as a major FDI service. The
Schedule provides that a major FDI Service includes:

1. A DC Facility Service provided in a DC which has a critical IT load ("CIL") of ≥ 10 megawatts
(MW), which is used to serve other parties unrelated to the operator of the DC (i.e. Cloud and
Co-Location DCs); and
2. A Cloud Computing Service that has generated revenue from users in Singapore of ≥ S$100
million per year on average over the three preceding years, and falls within the categories of
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) but not Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

Licensing

Providers of these major DC Facility Services and Cloud Computing Services will have to apply to
IMDA for a major FDI licence. IMDA may impose conditions on such licences as it deems appropriate.

In considering such applications, IMDA will consider, among other factors: (i) the experience of the applicant; and (ii) whether it would be contrary to the public interest.

Obligations

Licensees must take measures to ensure the security and resilience of their services, including the following obligations:

1. Implement processes and measures to ensure the security, including the physical security and cybersecurity, of their services;
2. Implement business continuity and disaster recovery plans to ensure timely resumption of their services from interruptions to their business activities and processes; and
3. Notify IMDA of the occurrence of cybersecurity incidents or service delivery disruptions.

If a licensee fails to comply with the above obligations, the conditions of their licence, or IMDA directions, they may be subject to a financial penalty not exceeding the higher of (i) S$1 million; and
(ii) 10% of the licensee's annual turnover in Singapore.

DC Operator Framework

Operators of DCs (i.e. with a CIL of ≥ 3 MW) will have to apply to IMDA for a DC licence. Notably, the
DC licence regime applies to all operators of DCs meeting the CIL threshold, regardless of whether the DC is operated for the purposes of providing a DC Facility Service to third parties or for the operator's own use.

Licensing

When assessing an application for a DC licence, IMDA will consider, among other factors:

1. The experience of the applicant and its ability to perform the relevant duties;
2. The energy efficiency and water efficiency of the DC; and
3. Whether it would be contrary to the public interest.

IMDA may also have regard to:

1. The characteristics of the energy sources from which electricity to be used by the applicant is generated (i.e. renewability, greenhouse gases, etc.);
2. Whether emissions produced will be disposed of, processed, stored, or mitigated;
3. The bearing that the energy consumption of the DC may have on Singapore's international commitments to reducing greenhouse gases; and
4. The extent to which the applicant's business operations will be of economic or strategic importance to Singapore's economy.

Obligations

IMDA may impose conditions on such licences as it deems appropriate. Conditions may include:

1. Payment of licensing fees;
2. Commencement of operations within a specified period;
3. Performance of specified tasks or achievement of specified goals that the licensee had undertaken as part their application;
4. Identification of a suitable low-carbon energy project to be located in Singapore to supply electricity, and drawing from the project by a specified date;
5. Arranging for emissions to be disposed of, processed, stored, or mitigated;
6. Arranging for electricity to be imported and used to operate the DC; and
7. Requiring the licensee not to use more than a specified amount or proportion of electricity generated from any specified energy source.

Licensed DC operators will be required to meet facility-level energy efficiency requirements, including ensuring that the DC complies with prescribed minimum energy efficiency requirements relating to: (i)
facility-level energy efficiency; (ii) equipment-level energy efficiency of information technology equipment; and (iii) facility-level water efficiency.

Licensed DC operators must also submit to IMDA an annual report on compliance with the statutory obligations, the conditions of the licence, and any applicable code of practice.

IMDA Powers

If the Bill is passed, IMDA will be given the function of administering the resultant Act, and will be endowed with the following key powers:

1. Licensing powers: IMDA may grant, renew, suspend or revoke major FDI licences and DC licences, and impose and/or modify the conditions of such licences, in appropriate cases.
2. Codes of practice and directions: IMDA may issue codes of practice and directions to licensees, including directions to require compliance with any code of practice applicable to the licensee.
3. Financial penalties: IMDA may impose financial penalties for non-compliance in appropriate cases.
4. Enforcement and investigation: IMDA enforcement officers will be empowered to carry out enforcement and investigation actions, including requiring the furnishing of evidence, documents, and information.

Practical Implications

For Cloud Computing Services, the threshold for "major regulated cloud computing service" is average annual revenue of at least S$100 million from "users in Singapore" over the three preceding years.
The draft Bill does not expressly set out a test for how "users in Singapore" will be determined.

Potential questions include whether revenue is attributed based on billing entity, account location, service consumption location, customer headquarters, workload location, or end-user location. Related issues include whether intra-group usage counts towards the threshold, how marketplace or reseller revenue is treated, whether gross or net revenue is measured, how global contracts with Singapore users are apportioned, and how new entrants or newly reorganised providers are assessed if they lack a three-year revenue record.

For DC Facility Services and DC licences, the key practical question is who qualifies as the relevant
"operator" where ownership, operation and occupation are split across different entities. For example, the regulatory responsibility may need to be distinguished between an owner-lessor, master lessee, colocation operator, cloud provider operating its own facility, facilities manager, joint venture vehicle, or outsourced technical operator. This distinction is particularly important because licensing and sustainability obligations may not sit neatly with legal ownership/title to the property.

Additionally, given that the DC licence threshold (CIL of ≥ 3 MW) is lower than the major FDI licence threshold (CIL of ≥ 10 MW), a DC requiring a major FDI licence will necessarily also require a DC licence. The two regimes have different scope and policy objectives — the major FDI licence regime focuses on security and resilience, whereas the DC licence regime focuses on environmental sustainability. A DC operator with more than 10 MW CIL serving third parties will be required to comply with both sets of requirements. This is confirmed in the public consultation document, and IMDA has indicated that it will streamline the application process for DC operators meeting both thresholds.

Interaction with Existing Regulation

The draft Bill is intended to complement the Cybersecurity Act framework by addressing broader operational resilience beyond cybersecurity. The practical issue is not simply the introduction of a new licensing regime, but how the proposed obligations will interact with existing cybersecurity, operational resilience, business continuity and sector-specific regulatory requirements. Providers with existing global operational frameworks may need to map Singapore-specific obligations against their global policies and customer commitments to identify areas of overlap, conflict or additional compliance requirements.

Contractual and Commercial Implications

Once passed, the Bill may affect various contractual arrangements including cloud customer terms, service level commitments, incident notification clauses, audit and information rights, regulatory disclosure clauses, confidentiality carve-outs, and sub-processor or vendor obligations. DC owners, operators, tenants and colocation providers should also review how regulatory responsibility is allocated under existing facility, lease, colocation, energy procurement and service arrangements, particularly where the party operating the facility is not the same as the party owning the premises or contracting with end customers.

Concluding Words

If passed, the proposed Bill will introduce significant obligations on the part of digital infrastructure service providers. While the Bill is framed as a security and sustainability measure, it also represents a significant expansion of regulatory oversight of Singapore's digital infrastructure sector. Stakeholders should assess not only whether they fall within the proposed licensing regimes, but also whether existing operational, contractual and governance arrangements are capable of supporting compliance with the proposed obligations.

In preparation, affected providers should assess whether their Singapore operations fall within the proposed thresholds, map existing cyber, resilience, business continuity, disaster recovery, incident response and sustainability controls against the proposed obligations, and identify any areas where clarification should be sought through the consultation process. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit feedback on the proposed Bill, particularly in relation to the licensing thresholds, treatment of multi-tenanted facilities, treatment of outsourced operators, interaction with existing regulatory requirements, and implementation timelines. If you wish to seek advice on the submission of feedback, please feel free to contact our team set out on this page, who will be glad to assist.

The full public consultation is available here.

For regional technology law matters, please see Rajah & Tann Asia's Regional Data & Digital
Economy Practice for more information. For regional sustainability matters, please see Rajah & Tann
Asia's Regional Sustainability Practice for more information.

Contacts
CORPORATE REAL ESTATE

Chou Ching
CO-HEAD

D +65 6232 0693
chou.ching@rajahtann.com

Benjamin Tay

D +65 6232 0375
benjamin.st.tay@rajahtann.com

Marcus Tay
PARTNER

D +65 6232 0275
marcus.tay@rajahtann.com

SUSTAINABILITY

Lee Weilin
HEAD

D +65 6232 0707
weilin.lee@rajahtann.com

Loh Yong Hui
PARTNER

D +65 6232 0550
yong.hui.loh@rajahtann.com

TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Rajesh Sreenivasan
HEAD

D +65 6232 0751
rajesh@rajahtann.com

Steve Tan

D +65 6232 0786
steve.tan@rajahtann.com

Benjamin Cheong 张汶权

D +65 6232 0738
benjamin.cheong@rajahtann.com

Regional Contacts
Cambodia
Rajah & Tann Sok & Heng Law Office
T  +855 23 963 112 | +855 23 963 113
kh.rajahtannasia.com
 Myanmar
Rajah & Tann Myanmar Company Limited
T  +951 9253750
mm.rajahtannasia.com

China
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP
Representative Offices
Shanghai Representative Office
T  +86 21 6120 8818
F  +86 21 6120 8820
Shenzhen Representative Office
T  +86 755 8898 0230
cn.rajahtannasia.com
 Philippines
Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
(C&G Law)
T  +632 8248 5250
www.cagatlaw.com
Singapore
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP
T  +65 6535 3600
sg.rajahtannasia.com
Indonesia
Assegaf Hamzah & Partners
Jakarta Office
T  +62 21 2555 7800
F  +62 21 2555 7899
Surabaya Office
T  +62 31 5116 4550
F  +62 31 5116 4560
www.ahp.co.id

Thailand
Rajah & Tann (Thailand) Limited
T  +66 2656 1991
th.rajahtannasia.com
Vietnam
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers
Ho Chi Minh City Office
T  +84 28 3821 2673 | +84 28 3521 2832
Hanoi Office
T  +84 24 3267 6127 | +84 24 3267 6128
vn.rajahtannasia.com

Lao PDR
Rajah & Tann (Laos) Co., Ltd.
T  +856 21 454 239
la.rajahtannasia.com

Malaysia
Christopher & Lee Ong
T  +603 2273 1919
F  +603 2273 8310
www.christopherleeong.com

Rajah & Tann Asia is a network of legal practices based in Asia.
Member firms are independently constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local legal requirements. Services provided by a member firm are governed by the terms of engagement between the member firm and the client.
This Update is solely intended to provide general information and does not provide any advice or create any relationship, whether legally binding or otherwise.
Rajah & Tann Asia and its member firms do not accept, and fully disclaim, responsibility for any loss or damage which may result from accessing or relying on this Update.

Our Regional Presence

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is one of the largest full-service law firms in Singapore, providing high quality advice to an impressive list of clients.  We place strong emphasis on promptness, accessibility and reliability in dealing with clients. At the same time, the firm strives towards a practical yet creative approach in dealing with business and commercial problems. As the Singapore member firm of the Lex Mundi Network, we are able to offer access to excellent legal expertise in more than 100 countries.

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is part of Rajah & Tann Asia, a network of local law firms in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Our Asian network also includes regional desks focused on Brunei, Japan and South Asia.

The contents of this Update are owned by Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP and subject to copyright protection under the laws of Singapore and, through international treaties, other countries. No part of this Update may be reproduced, licensed, sold, published, transmitted, modified, adapted, publicly displayed, broadcast (including storage in any medium by electronic means whether or not transiently for any purpose save as permitted herein) without the prior written permission of Rajah & Tann
Singapore LLP.

Please note also that whilst the information in this Update is correct to the best of our knowledge and belief at the time of writing, it is only intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and should not be treated as a substitute for specific professional advice for any particular course of action as such information may not suit your specific business and operational requirements. It is to your advantage to seek legal advice for your specific situation. In this regard, you may contact the lawyer you normally deal with in Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP or email Knowledge Management at RTApublications@rajahtann.com.

What's the problem? (required)

Source link (optional)

Describe the problem (and edit the text or pick an issue type) to submit.

Suggestions are submitted anonymously. No account or personal information is required or sent.