Singapore startup puts idle data-centre batteries to work
Amplicity has closed a US$1.01 million seed round to develop technology that uses spare backup-battery capacity without compromising emergency reserves.
Singapore-based energy technology company Amplicity has closed a US$1.01 million seed round backed by Loyal VC to develop a business around batteries that many data centres and factories already own. Its aim is to use capacity above each site's emergency backup reserve to reduce electricity costs and, where permitted, earn revenue from grid services. The company says it is in discussions with more than 20 prospective customer sites across Asia-Pacific and plans to enter Japan in 2027.
The opportunity starts with an asset that is normally kept ready for a power outage. Amplicity estimates that Singapore data centres have about 160 MWh of installed backup battery capacity, while data centres across Asia-Pacific hold about 740 MWh. Those are company estimates of installed capacity, not a claim that every battery can be dispatched. The usable portion depends on each operator's reserve requirements, equipment and operating conditions.
How the model works
Amplicity says the site operator sets a minimum backup reserve and local controllers enforce it even if an internet connection fails. Capacity above that floor can then be scheduled around the site's electricity use. One use is peak shaving: drawing on a battery during demand spikes that can raise a large customer's power bill. The company also looks for wholesale electricity-market opportunities where the site and its battery are eligible.
That distinction matters commercially. A data-centre operator is unlikely to risk its backup function merely to chase a new revenue stream. Amplicity's proposition is that the reserve is set first, with the financial case built around the remaining capacity, the site's load profile and its tariff. The company models about S$256,000 in annual value for an example S$500,000 battery at a Singapore data centre, mostly from peak shaving. That figure is a modelled example, not a reported customer result.
What to watch
Starting with installed batteries could reduce the need for new equipment spending, although Amplicity also says it can optimise operating storage systems and arrange new installations where the economics support them. The next test is whether prospective sites convert into operating deployments with documented reserve settings, realised bill savings and market revenue. For Singapore and other power-constrained markets, that would show whether existing backup assets can contribute meaningfully to grid flexibility without weakening the protection they were bought to provide.
