Data centre ‘building doctor’: He keeps power, cooling systems running
He clocks 10,000 steps daily to inspect critical equipment across six floors.
Keith Fong, a 29-year-old mechanical engineer, works as a data centre engineer at the STTGDC data centre in Tai Seng, Singapore. He is part of a team of four leads responsible for the day-to-day operations of the data centre's physical infrastructure and critical systems. The data centre houses computer servers, storage systems, and networking equipment that store and process data for various digital and cloud services.
STTGDC operates six data centres in Singapore and over 100 globally, including in Malaysia, India, South Korea, Japan, Britain, and Germany.
As a data centre engineer, Keith's primary responsibility is to ensure uninterrupted cooling and power supply around the clock, as there must be no downtime at all. His team monitors and maintains these systems, coordinates maintenance, plans for contingencies, and responds to alarms or abnormalities when they occur. They also provide remote hands service to customers, allowing Keith to check equipment, investigate faults, and troubleshoot issues on behalf of customers if needed.
To ensure a stable environment for data centre operations, Keith and his team undergo rigorous training in emergency response, including fire suppression, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators. Their workspace is equipped with advanced detection systems, such as the VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus) system, which can detect very small concentrations of smoke particles, providing early warning of potential fires or other environmental issues.
Keith's role is unique, as he is essentially a "doctor of the building," constantly inspecting critical equipment across six floors of the data centre. He often puts in more than 10,000 steps daily, ensuring that the cooling and power systems remain stable and that the IT systems can continue operating reliably. The data centre maintains a stable environment with temperatures ranging from 18°C to 27°C and relative humidity levels between 20% and 80%, following the Singapore's Tropical Data Centre standard.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
