Digital infrastructure and AI are reshaping the global economy.At the centre of this shift lies a complex stack of systems and dependencies. AI runs on data centres, connects with enterprise platforms, and depends on energy infrastructure - all under tightening performance and sustainability demands.For nearly two decades, I've written about enterprise IT, data centres, AI, and cybersecurity, along with the operational realities behind them. Having worked across editorial, agency, and brand roles, I understand not just how technology works, but how narratives shape markets.In an era where generative AI can produce endless content, the advantage no longer lies in volume. It lies in perspective and authority.✨ How do you stand out when everyone is publishing?✨ How do you attract the right audience?✨ How do you build trust in a noisy market?That's where I come in.---What I bring:✅ Technical fluency from a prior career in IT.✅ 18 years of editorial judgement.✅ Deep familiarity with APAC data centre and digital infrastructure ecosystem.✅ Experience shaping narratives that resonate with technically literate audiences.---How we can work together: Work with me directly👉 Consulting on AI, data centre and technology trends.👉 Strategic content advisory and executive positioning.👉 Speaking, moderation and industry panels.Reach my audience👉 Strategic editorial collaborations.👉 Authority-building brand partnerships.---If you would like to read more of my content:🔸Follow me on LinkedIn.🔸Tech Stories Blog: https://www.techstoryteller.co🔸Weekly newsletter: https://www.techstories.co/updates🔸Clearly Tech Substack: https://www.clearlytech.co🔸WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbB6pYr9hXF32Ycd4t2f---You can contact me via LinkedIn message (no need to connect first) or email at: paul@techstoryteller.co

Paul Mah

STT GDC India last week announced the launch of its fourth data centre in Chennai, India, with phase one of the 45MW facility operational.

✅ Join my WhatsApp Channel (1-click): https://lnkd.in/gfZUWPSe

𝟭/ 𝗦𝗧𝗧 𝗚𝗗𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮

Located in the SIPCOT IT Park, Siruseri, the STT Chennai 7 data centre is designed as a 45MW "AI-ready" facility. The first phase that is currently operational is 7.2MW.

STT GDC India also has 40MW already operational at its Chennai Ambattur campus, split between the STT Chennai 2 and STT Chennai 3 data centres.

Earlier this month, STT GDC India held the groundbreaking of STT Chennai 4, also in the Ambattur campus. According to the company website, it will offer 18MW of capacity.

𝟮/ 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗣𝗢 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱

In its press release, STT GDC India says it is evaluating options for future expansion in India, including a potential IPO in 1H 2027 to accelerate growth.

STT GDC holds a 74% stake in STT GDC India with Tata Communications holding the remainder - STT GDC in 2016 acquired a controlling interest in Tata Communications' data centre business in India.

A KKR-led consortium in February announced the full acquisition of STT GDC at an enterprise value of S$13.8 billion. (Read: https://lnkd.in/ggFvPASA)

𝟯/ 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸

As I noted in August last year, there's just 1.4 GW of data centres in operation across India today. That's a dismal figure given the fact that it is the world's most-populous nation with over 1.4 billion people.

The Indian government is making a concerted push to woo investors to get on the AI bandwagon and leapfrog ahead in the digital infrastructure race.

On 1 Feb, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that India will offer a 20-year tax holiday to overseas firms that offer global data centre services from the South Asian country.

Finally, India has other things going for it, including some 11.18GW of renewables at the moment and a push to develop more.

📆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

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𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁: STT GDC. STT Chennai 7.

Helping growing tech companies with their content and strategy

Adani Group this week announced plans to invest as much as US$100 billion by 2035 to develop AI data centres in India.

Specifics are not provided, though the press release says it builds on AdaniConneX's existing 2GW national data centre roadmap and will take total planned target to 5GW.

AdaniConneX is a 50:50 joint venture by Adani Enterprises and US-based EdgeConneX, and is touted as India's largest hyperscale data centre operator.

✅ Join my WhatsApp Channel (one-click): https://lnkd.in/gfZUWPSe

𝟭/ 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀

The data centre expansion is anchored by partnerships with Google, Microsoft and Flipkart. According to Adani, this includes:

🔸Google for a 1GW AI data centre campus in Visakhapatnam, as well as additional campuses in Noida.

🔸The building of data centres spanning Hyderabad and Pune for Microsoft.

🔸Plans to develop a second AI data centre with India e-commerce firm Flipkart.

The Adani Group is also in discussion with other major players to build large scale data centre campuses across India.

𝟮/ 𝗘𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸

Adani Group chairman, Gautam Adani spoke of a five-layer AI stack, a framework that essentially covers apps, AI models, semiconductor chips, energy, and data centres.

The idea is to catalyse and leverage additional investments across server manufacturing and supply chains to make India an "AI-first superpower" as described by Adani's CFO.

Indeed, Adani is investing heavily to expand its renewable energy portfolio, which will include the world's largest battery energy storage systems (BESS).

𝟯/ 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀

From a population and digitalisation standpoint, India currently does not have enough data centres to serve its own needs.

But Adani has clearly set its sights beyond traditional data centres and is looking to leapfrog ahead through multiple AI data centre deployments.

The India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi this week has drawn attendees with around 10 heads of state and industry luminaries such as Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei.

Where do you see India's data centre market heading?

📆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

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𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁: AdaniConneX. AdaniConneX's Chennai 1 data centre in Chennai, India.

Singapore says it will impose PUE requirements on both old and new data centres with the upcoming Digital Infrastructure Act (DIA).

Speaking at the launch of a Centre of Excellence for Applied AI by Singtel's Digital InfraCo and Nvidia this morning, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How made two key announcements.

✅ Join my WhatsApp Channel (one-click): https://lnkd.in/gfZUWPSe

𝟭/ 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴

The Digital Infrastructure Act (DIA), which is designed to enhance the security and resilience of critical digital infrastructure (CII) such as data centres, will be tabled in parliament later this year. 

First mentioned in January 2024, the DIA was originally scheduled to be introduced last year. It is not known why this was pushed back, though my personal speculation is that the DIA was meant to come after the DC-CFA2, which only kicked off in December 2025.

Another possibility could be the complexity of the legislation, or that CIIs in Singapore coming under state-sponsored attacks last year could have resulted in changes or new provisions being added. Regardless, it sounds like the DIA will be passed into law soon.

𝟮/ 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆

One new revelation that I wasn't aware before, is how DIA will also seek to establish "baseline energy efficiency requirements" for data centres in Singapore.

This includes both existing and new ones that will be built, which will see the imposition of PUE requirements, though no PUE figures were mentioned this morning.

In his speech, the minister also alluded to the systematic raising of the "energy efficiency and sustainability" of all data centres in Singapore to create "more headroom" to support growing digital demands here.

𝟯/ 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆

A regional data centre hub, Singapore has a plan to build a green energy hub and unlock sustainable data centre growth.

It is worth noting that the IMDA-BCA Green Mark for Data Centres 2024 standard imposes tighter requirements on how PUE is measured. This means operators should probably not count on being able to evade this requirement.

You can read more about this in "Singapore's audacious bet on sustainable data centres" here: go.clearlytech.co/k4Hj

I'll share more about the DIA when I learn more about it.

📆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

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𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁: Unsplash/CHUTTERSNAP

Using Claude Code, a man accidentally broke into thousands of live DJI Romo robot vacuums, accessing camera feeds and remotely controlling them.

This #UnfilteredFirday, let's talk about IoT security. And where AI could get us.

✅ Join my WhatsApp Channel (1-click): https://lnkd.in/gfZUWPSe

𝟭/ 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘂𝘂𝗺

Hoping to link his brand-new DJI Romo vacuum to a PS5 controller for a geeky side project, a man fired up Claude Code and got to work.

By reverse engineering the protocol used to communicate with the vacuum, Sammy Azdoufal gained direct control of his robot vacuum.

But it turned out it also gave him access to thousands of other DJI robot vacuums too. Sammy could now:

- Check battery levels.
- View live camera feeds.
- Remotely control robots.
- Listen through microphones.
- Generate 2-D maps of each home.

What's more, with the IP addresses of the robots, he could also estimate the location of each device.

𝟮/ 𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀

The DJI Romo uses the well-established and robust MQTT protocol to communicate with DJI servers and the official mobile phone app.

But while proper authentication was required to access a DJI Romo, poor design meant any authentication token could be used to control all connected robot vacuums.

This wasn't a problem with the official app, which restricted access to local devices. But when Sammy extracted his own authentication token* using Claude Code, it gave him access to every device out there.

*An authentication token is a temporary, unique code issued upon verification of a password, ensuring that the password doesn't need to be resent every time.

𝟯/ 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱

When the story first broke earlier in the week on The Verge, DJI was already informed and it sent a statement that the issue was resolved prior to public disclosure.

Sammy claims other weaknesses remain, though he could no longer see or hear through other devices.

The issue here is weak app design on the part of DJI. However, it's worth noting how Claude Code lowered the barriers of entry, making it far easier to find or exploit security flaws.

The other consideration is this: If even a commercial product could contain such security oversights, what of vibe coded apps created by non-technical users?

I personally operate on the assumption that my home smart devices can be compromised. This is because cybersecurity is often last on the list for consumer products, and products are rarely - or never - patched after they are released.

Anyway, I'm curious about your thoughts on this: Are we facing a potential vibe-coded security apocalypse?

📆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

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𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁: DJI.

AI is simultaneously creating and solving problems. Cybersecurity is just the start.

In my latest Substack piece, I look at why rapid AI-driven transitions are becoming the new normal, and why no industry will be spared.

You can read it here: go.clearlytech.co/fsOo

Here's the quick read version.

𝟭/ 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

(a) Looming vibe-coding security apocalypse

A man hacking his own robot vacuum found a flaw that gave him control over thousands of others. If that can happen with a commercial product, what about the flood of vibe-coded apps out there?

(b) AI as its own antidote

Anthropic's latest AI model has already uncovered over 500 vulnerabilities in mature open-source codebases - bugs that slipped past expert review for decades.

𝟮/ 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀

My hypothesis: we can expect years of transitions even if AI stops getting better. Spoiler: there's no sign of AI slowing down. Every industry will eventually feel this.

tldr; We're far from understanding what AI means for cybersecurity.

How do you think AI will impact your industry?

📆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

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𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁: Unsplash/Jerry Wang

Educator by Day, Dad by Night

I avoided speaking at all costs.

Speech impediment. Paralyzing fear. Zero confidence.

Now I teach others to do the very thing I once couldn’t.

✅ Advise Fortune 500s on AI-driven marketing & sales
✅ Organize CMO Roundtables that bring Asia’s top marketing leaders together
✅ Lecture at top universities across Asia, helping students find their voice

What changed?

Not talent. Not timing.

Just this: I kept showing up. Even when I was scared.

I share this because too many students and professionals still believe confidence is something you’re born with.

It’s not.

It’s built - through repetition, reflection, and real-world reps.

If you’re building yours, I’d love to hear your story too.

P.S. If I could turn my biggest fear into my career - you can too.

Joe Escobedo

I taught 50+ masters students at Singapore Management University 

How to cut their job search time in half using AI.

75% of resumes never reach a human (they get read by the Terminator). 

Instead, I share 3 proven approaches:

1) Use AI to decode the job description first. 

Match your resume bullets to its exact language. Then score for ATS fit before you hit send.

2) Your LinkedIn headline is not your job title. 

"MBA Graduate | Open to Work" is invisible. "Helping B2B SaaS companies 3x pipeline with AI-powered marketing | CMO-track | SEA" gets found.

3) Keep outreach under 75 words. 

Reference something real about them. One specific ask. Read it aloud. If it sounds robotic, rewrite it.

One student rewrote her resume bullet live during the session. 

Before: "Responsible for marketing campaigns." 

After: a specific number, a target audience, and a result tied to revenue.

Remember, 70%+ of jobs never get posted publicly. 

The people who land them sent a good message to the right person at the right time. 

AI makes that faster. It doesn't make it automatic.

Joe Escobedo aka JoeGPT

AI Marketing Advisor, CMO Roundtable Host, Trusted by 25k Leaders, Author (How to Get a Job in Asia)

"Joe, everyone knows you," my friend teased. 

I laughed it off. "No they don't."

Three seconds later, a young woman walked up to our table.

"Are you Joe?"

I nodded.

Her face lit up. 

"I was one of your students in your Boston Consulting Group (BCG) class."

Then she said something I wasn't ready for.

She still remembered my class.

And she informed me she'd just been promoted to Managing Director of a social enterprise (AMGD Global) here in Singapore.

(Why are all my former students trying to make me cry hehe.)

I don't know how many students I've taught over the years. Thousands. 

Maybe more.

I don't always know what lands. 

Most of the time, you just show up, give everything you have, and they walk out the door.

You teach into a void and hope something sticks.

But sometimes, years later, someone crosses a restaurant to find you.

And you realize the void was listening the whole time.

To every teacher, trainer, mentor, and coach reading this... keep going.

You have no idea who you're shaping.

(Thanks to all the people that made this magical moment possible Yvonne Tan, Mei Lee, Julie Wang, and Nadhrah Alhadi...so proud of you!)

21,000 followers.

When I started posting on LinkedIn, I genuinely thought my mom and two classmates were my entire audience. (Hi Mom.)

So hitting 21,000 feels worth a small celebration, and some completely useless-but-fascinating facts about the number 21,000:

🔢 21,000 hours is roughly 2.4 years. About how long it takes to truly master something, according to the "10,000-hour rule people" (give or take).

🌍 21,000 years ago, the last Ice Age was still in full swing. Humans were already hustling, just with fewer LinkedIn notifications.

✈️ A Boeing 747 cruises at about 21,000 feet before reaching full altitude. Still climbing.

📬 More practically: this community is now bigger than many mid-sized towns in Asia.

What I've learned from 21,000 of you: 

B2B professionals across APAC are hungry for practical, no-BS insights on AI, marketing, and doing business across cultures.

That's exactly what I plan to keep delivering.

Thank you for being here. 

The best posts are still ahead (at least I hope so).

Being competent is not a career strategy. 😭

I used to think if you did good work, people would notice. 

Then I started running workshops with mid-career professionals and kept hearing the same story: reliable, capable, even indispensable.

And still invisible when promotion decisions got made.

Sat down with Dawn Fiona C., Alex Loh 劳星裕, and Debbie Yong on The Financial Coconut to unpack why that happens and what to do about it.

We covered:
- 5 real scenarios where capable professionals get overlooked
- How AI has shifted what effort and expertise actually look like
- What leaders evaluate when deciding who's ready for the next level

Especially worth it if you're an introvert or someone who'd rather do great work than play office politics.

🎧 5 Things No One Ever Taught You About Getting Ahead at Work ▶️ Link in the comments

Big thanks to Cheryl Lau for inviting me and producing everything!

Are young Singaporeans redefining success, or just burning out faster?

Cheryl Ng did both before she turned 20.

Study Instagram at 17. Quit from burnout. Return in Poly. Sleep 2 hours.

Breakdown. 

Eight hours of sleep. Better grades. Better focus. 4.0 GPA. 

Advocate for mental wellness while staying ruthlessly ambitious.

Her story isn't unusual in this part of the world. The pressure to perform is real, it's early, and it compounds.

What shifted for Cheryl:

- She stopped measuring herself by titles and output
- She used the goal gradient effect to build habits that didn't rely on willpower
- She reframed AI and uncertainty as tools, not threats

The students and executives I work with across APAC are hungry. 

That's not the problem. 

The problem is most of them have never been taught that rest is a performance variable.

Cheryl figured it out at 20. Some people never do (including me for many years).

At what age did you start treating recovery as part of the job?

(Link to full episode in the comments)

$50,000 in prizes for founders solving one of Asia's biggest challenges.

Asia is ageing fast.

That's what the SUSS Entrepreneurship team is trying to fix with Pitch for Good.

Having partnered with the team and have watched this come together over many months. 

The team has built real pathways for winners: 
- testbedding opportunities
- up to 50,000 in cash prizes 
- flight sponsorship for non-local founders

Grand Finals: 26 August 2026 
Deadline to apply: 17 May 2026

If you're building in ageing-tech, eldercare, or social innovation, this is the one to enter.

Tag a founder who should know about this.

#PitchForGood #Geronpreneurship #Singapore #SocialInnovation #SUSS

A roundtable costs around $10,000+ per session. 

Most companies waste that budget before the invites go out.

I was talking with a CMO last week. 

She was direct about what she actually wants from an executive event: ❌ no sales pitches
❌ no product demos
❌ no awkward cold-table seating

What works in Singapore is a 
✅ room of 10-14 people
✅ a facilitator who can move a conversation 
✅ a topic that ties back to your target audience's KPIs

The value is in the conversation, not the slide deck though. 

Sponsors who understand that get referrals. 

Sponsors who don't get a room full of people checking their phones.

If you've hosted or attended a roundtable in APAC recently, what made it worth your time?

The best marketers aren't the ones who know the most tools.

I've noticed this across every workshop I run in SE Asia. 

The person who walks out with the clearest plan is rarely the most experienced in the room. 

They're the one who came in knowing exactly what they don't know.

That gap — between digital activity and measurable ROI — is what the High-Impact Digital Marketing Masterclass is built around.

8 & 9 April, JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur. 

Topics:
- AI-powered marketing and automation
- Content strategy for lead generation
- Paid advertising (Facebook and Google)
- Conversion rate optimization
- Data, analytics, and ROI measurement

✅ HRD Corp claimable. 
✅ Past participants gave it a 9.5/10 average rating, which I'm told is unusual for a 2-day program.

If your team is spending on digital marketing but struggling to show what it's producing, this is the right room.

Contact Azmina: +60123500766 / Eugene: +60109154521.

Will AI steal my job (or my spouse)?!

I get asked this question a lot. 

For my upcoming Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) (B2B Digital Marketing class), I plan on flipping it around:

- What does AI do better than you? 
- What do you do better than AI? 
- Where do you need each other?

AI wins on speed, synthesis, pattern recognition. 

It can read 10,000 customer reviews and find the three things nobody said out loud. 4 seconds. Not 4 hours.

Humans win on judgment that requires context, relationships, and knowing when the data is lying. 

You can tell when a client is unhappy even though the NPS score says 8. 

AI can't.

The jobs disappearing aren't the ones AI can do. 

They're the ones where people refused to learn how to work alongside it.

The spouse question though? (Still figuring that one out....)

AI is making your employees lazy (or lazier, in some instances.) 

Here's what's actually happening inside most organizations right now:

Someone needs to write a proposal.
They prompt AI. 
They get something 'decent.'
They copy and paste, then send it.

No real thinking. No real creativity. No judgment applied. 

Just a prompt, an output, and a deadline met.
Multiply that by your entire team. Every day. For 12 months.

And you wonder why they're not getting results.

The problem isn't the tool (*insert shocked GIF*). 

It's that nobody taught your people how to use it without switching their brains off.

The AI "gurus" will tell you to move faster. Automate everything. 

I'll tell you something different: 

The most valuable thing your employees bring to work is their judgment. 

Their creativity. Their ability to think.

AI should sharpen that. Not replace it.

If your people are using AI as a crutch instead of a weapon, you're not transforming. 

You're just getting busier and staying average.

taplio

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