Data centre capacity in Southeast Asia is projected to triple from 2025 levels by 2030. (Digital Edge pic)PETALING JAYA: Southeast Asia's data centre boom, fuelled by surging demand for artificial intelligence, is drawing growing opposition from residents across Malaysia.
Data centre capacity in Southeast Asia is projected to triple from 2025 levels by 2030, driven by a tenfold surge in AI use, according to a KPMG report.
This can put pressure on water supplies, but also electricity grids still heavily reliant on planet-warming fossil fuels.
The data centre construction boom in Malaysia and Indonesia began when resource constraints led hyper-connected Singapore to halt new developments between 2019 and 2022.
