PSA’s addition of the Tuas Port within 10+ years will run on an integrated multi-cloud platform the power of data/AI.

Singapore port operator and supply chain solutions provider—PSA (formerly known as the Port of Singapore Authority) is constantly striving to elevate the island nation’s maritime and logistics top standing.

With the nation’s commitment to meeting world sustainability goals, the port authority plans to complete construction of the Tuas Port: the world’s largest fully automated, intelligent and sustainable port, by the 2040s.

This transformation journey is expected to increase the port’s handling capacity to 65m units, almost doubling the volume of 37m units handled in 2022.

Central to this initiative is the need for a modernized and sustainable supply chain that can cater to high-performance processing needs, for tasks such as big data analytics. PSA also plants to establish an ecosystem of communities connected with interoperability — through a global “Internet of Logistics” initiative. Participating firms within the ecosystem will then be able to share applications and data services seamlessly.

Slated technology backbone

The technological backbone of the project is an array of solutions comprising hyper-converged infrastructure, complemented by all-flash and hybrid storage arrays; a software-driven, scale-out file storage platform; and a software-defined data center (SDDC), among other leading edge solutions.

The solutions are integrated by a single vendor, and are aimed at increasing the flexibility and scalability of PSA’s IT infrastructure. With more configurations and all-flash nodes, the system not only doubles the storage capacity, but also leverages data to support a wide range of applications, including those that are AI driven. Some of the workloads include hands-free container loading and unloading; the analysis of port traffic trends; as well as the ability to predict vessel movements and detect congestion hotspots in Singapore’s waters.

According to Sriram Ramanujam, Assistant VP, PSA: “By working closely alongside technology partners such as Dell Technologies, PSA aims to create an ecosystem of connected logistical operational platforms, enabling plug-and-play exchange and interoperability among our logistics and supply chain partners.”

Under the partnership with Dell, PSA will be equipped with centralized, on-demand access to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) options applicable with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and Dell storage solutions. The integration of a multi-cloud foundation will play a crucial role in expediting cargo’s time-to-market and help PSA navigate the complexities of modern logistics. Furthermore, with the implementation of the SDDC and added flexibility and automation, IT personnel at the mega port will be able to focus on innovation to stay competitive. The multi-cloud platform can play a vital role in accelerating new product and software deployment times — from months to weeks.

Said Andy Sim, VP and Managing Director (Singapore), Dell Technologies: “Working together with PSA, Singapore is becoming a pivotal ocean-air freight hub and is paving the way for expanded route options for shipping companies worldwide. PSA employees can now deploy PaaS and SaaS with unprecedented ease regardless of location, and gain increased insights, controls, and access to virtualized platforms… translating to greater data usage, hardware utilization and higher operational efficiency.”