Singapore government heavy handed approach is definitely working in propelling Singapore as a leading destination for various enterprises to setup their data center. Who's in Singapore? A quick search on data center knowledge paint a fairly evident picture. Some brand name companies are IBM, Adobe, Amazon, OpenDNS, Salesforce.
I am glad to see Hong Kong government is trying to do the same. While visiting HKTDC's ICT Expo, I attended the "Canada - HK Innovation and Technology Partnering Forum". This is where it was first brought to my attention the Hong Kong government is finally trying to do something about the data center industry.
Few months later, HK SAR government launches their website dedicated to attract data center operators.
Recently, I came across this article on Computer World, which talks about Cloud Readiness in Asia. According to the "Asia Cloud Computer Association", in their whitepaper on Cloud Readiness, Hong Kong rank 2nd in the cloud readiness index, behind Japan and ahead of Singapore.
Hong Kong may rank higher in the cloud readiness survey, but I don't believe this is a true reflection of how the industry is shaping up to be. A simple search in Data Center Knowledge website and you will see all high-end cloud companies setting up shops in Singapore: Amazon, Salesforce, Adobe, etc. Whereas in Hong Kong, you only get companies from the lower-end of the spectrum, which are really just co-location companies such as NTT, Equinix, Rackspace. Why is this important? Because I believe it represent a greater commitment by companies to build a cloud service offering such as AWS, Salesforce, Omniture platforms then companies offering rental spaces for servers, which is what co-location really is. The former will require a more sophisticated workforce hence creating better job opportunities for the area.
Hong Kong may be "winning" in this so call "Cloud Readiness", but sophisticated cloud companies are choosing Singapore over Hong Kong.
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