2026 Agenda

An exclusive invitation-only executive-level workshop tailored for digital infra CXOs, hyperscalers, select investors and industry VIPs.  

Capped at 40 people to maintain the intimate nature of the session, and held under Chatham House rule to facilitate open exchange – the Digital Infra Leaders Summit is run as a facilitated discussion drawing upon sentiment analysis to stimulate debate.  

 

Now in its third year, the Summit has become a highlight on the calendar for APAC’s digital infrastructure leaders. 

This opening keynote brings together Singapore’s government and industry leaders to show how applied AI is being scaled across sectors - through Centres of Excellence and real‑world testbeds - and what this means for the next wave of data centre, cloud and low‑latency network buildout. It will outline how stakeholders are balancing growth with resource constraints while strengthening cyber resilience, drawing upon the impact of the Digital Infrastructure Act. Furthermore, the session will explore to what extent Singapore’s AI momentum will depend on regional capacity and connectivity partnerships. 

 

 

APAC data center, cloud and AI leaders compare the priorities they’re carrying into 2027 and what they’re committed to delivering from Q1, set against a backdrop of global uncertainty shaping budgets, timelines and risk appetite. They’ll unpack the key blockers still holding execution back - where policy, coordination or industry action must shift - and agree what should be prioritised first. Finally, the panel spotlights where investment and partnerships are concentrating, what announcements are most likely as plans move into delivery, and which shifts will make 2027 materially different for the sector. 

This panel maps how APAC’s AI and cloud ecosystem is shifting as hyperscalers accelerate capex in core hubs and push into new markets reshaping where capacity, networks and talent must land first. It will examine the rise of sovereign AI platforms, public–private/JV models and the emerging role of neoclouds. How are end user trends and sovereignty requirements shaping AI and cloud demand? What can GPU shipments and early neocloud deals tell us? What form will infrastructure partnerships take and how can they accelerate? 

 

Cheque sizes in the data centre sector are growing faster than traditional capital pools can absorb. As limits are reached, the industry is being forced to rethink how projects are financed - from co-investment and new partnership structures to the growing role of institutional investors and alternative source of debt.  This panel explores the challenges and bottlenecks, risk/reward appetites and the new structures that will unblock data centre investment 

An invitation‑only, peer‑led forum (capped at 40 people) for Heads of Design and Heads of Engineering at data centre operators to compare what’s working, and what’s next, in optimising and future‑proofing facilities.   

We’ll open with a short pulse read‑out from a pre‑event survey to create common ground, then move quickly into curated roundtables and facilitated group wide discussion.   

Scope of the session includes:  

• Chip/ server advances, changes in standards and evolving tenant requirements demanding new designs – how are you keeping ahead of futureproofing? 

• Complexities and challenges keeping engineering leaders awake at night  

• Choices delivering material impact on sustainability, WUE and PUE goals  

• Anticipation of supply chain constraints and alternatives to navigate them    

 

APAC is already seeing early warning signs - from transmission constraints in select markets to longer lead times for critical power equipment. This panel focuses on the policies and energy investments being put in place  to keep capacity moving and how data centres can contribute positively to the grid. Speakers will share live examples of new partnership models with utilities and IPPs, on‑site generation and the policy changes that are unlocking faster interconnection and clearer planning. The goal – accelerating time to energization without compromising risk and total cost 

This panel examines how to accelerate data centre delivery by cutting permitting timelines and building community trust. Speakers will share practical playbooks: early stakeholder mapping, transparent engagement on jobs/noise/visual impact, clear water and power strategies, and community benefit commitments that reduce objections. The panel will also discuss what “successful policy” looks like: predictable zoning, fast-track approvals for efficient designs, clear sustainability metrics, and coordinated utility/regulator processes. 

A pre-cursor to tomorrow’s roundtables, this keynote explores how APAC’s tier‑2 markets are positioning themselves to become the next generation of scalable data centre and AI hubs through 2027 and beyond. Speakers will unpack what still holds these markets back and where early momentum is already translating into real builds. The session will also assess how cloud and AI platforms are sizing demand across emerging locations, what connectivity upgrades are required, and to what extent national advantages can contribute to a regional hub across APAC. 

Kick off the festive season and raise a glass with the partners who’ve become part of your professional “travel family” - when you spend half the year crossing time zones together, your closest industry partners can feel like colleagues.

As chips and servers evolve, data centres must rethink everything from rack design to cooling strategy. This panel brings chip/server manufacturers together with data centre engineering leaders to preview what’s coming next and translate it into practical facility implications: heat rejection, redundancy, serviceability, and monitoring. Expect a frank discussion on futureproofing and compatibility - what can be designed now, what must remain modular, and how to avoid stranded capex as silicon roadmaps accelerate. 

From navigating company registration, import controls and tax incentives, to building relationships with power providers, public authorities and local partners, entering and thriving in new jurisdictions is a challenge for data centre operators and suppliers alike. 

As attention turns to new data centre markets in APAC, join country focussed roundtables led by delegations from key markets. Gain clarity and build the relationships you need to streamline market entry.  

This panel looks at how operators and delivery partners are cutting build times now through modular and prefabricated designs, tighter standardisation, and approaches that reduce on-site complexity. Speakers will share what’s proving effective in live projects: packaging and procurement strategies, commissioning-by-zone, digital project controls, and contracting models that align risk across operator, GC and key OEMs.  

As rack densities rise, grids feel the strain and regulations tighten, efficiency is no longer a “nice to have” - it’s the license to grow. This panel cuts through the PUE headline to examine what actually moves the needle in modern facilities: cooling architecture choices, higher operating temperatures, heat‑reuse potential, smarter airflow management, and electrical efficiency from UPS topologies to power distribution and harmonics. Operators, engineers and technology vendors will share how they benchmark, measure and verify performance, where PUE still matters (and where it misleads), and how to balance efficiency with resilience, uptime and cost.

Format: Interactive workshop  

APAC’s neocloud market is nascent and fragmented – but key players will mature fast as neocloud models such as Coreweave show success elsewhere.  

This working session brings neocloud leaders, data centre operators and investors/banks together to define what’s bankable, match the right capital to the right model, and turn interest into contracts. 

This panel explores how operators can design new builds (and retrofit plans) to accommodate behind-the-meter generation -  a model gaining traction in more constrained power markets and likely to land on APAC’s shores as time-to-power stretches. Speakers will unpack what “generation-ready” architecture looks like in practice, how to futureproof the power train so on-site assets can be added in phases and what technologies choices will likely be deployed.  

As governments tighten oversight of “systemically important” digital infrastructure, data centres must move from compliance to continuous cyber‑resilience. This panel sets out a practical hardening playbook: risk assessment and business impact analysis, BCMS maturity, stronger identity and access controls, segmentation and monitoring, supply‑chain and personnel due diligence, and incident response runbooks. It also covers cyber‑physical resilience including drills that simulate power, cooling and connectivity failure, and how operators prove recovery at scale. Finally, it covers quantum‑safe networking: building crypto‑agility and migrating to post‑quantum cryptography.