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View all search resultsIndonesia’s data center boom raises alarm over water use
A study found that hot, humid lowland climates in cities like Jakarta and Batam leave data centers heavily dependent on energy-hungry mechanical cooling systems that run at high load year-round.
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An artificial intelligence data center sign is displayed on March 3, 2025, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world's biggest mobile fair, in Barcelona, Spain. Amid euphoria over new applications, AI has also caused privacy and data rights concerns. (AFP/Josep Lago)
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ising demand for data centers amid the global artificial intelligence craze has significantly increased the need for water to power the systems, causing shortage risks that have pushed industry players to be efficient in using the available resources.
“Moving forward, water will become the second strategic issue after energy in developing data centers,” said the Indonesian Data Center Provider Organization (IDPRO) chairman Hendra Suryakusuma.
He told The Jakarta Post on March 30 that water consumption in data centers depends on the cooling technology used. Air-cooled chiller systems consume very little water. Meanwhile, water-cooled systems, such as a cooling tower or evaporative cooling system, typically consume significant amounts of water.
Citing a global benchmark, he noted that hyperscale data centers could use 1 million to 5 million liters of water per day, especially for evaporative cooling systems.
In Indonesia, the majority of older data centers use chilled water and cooling towers, leading to relatively high water consumption. Meanwhile, the newer generation of data centers like hyperscale and modern colocation centers are beginning to adopt air-cooled chillers with economizers, which help reduce water reliance, he said.
Read also: RI looks to partner with Malaysia, Singapore for cross-border data center
Data center development in the country has been concentrated around the Greater Jakarta area, a region that is also facing water shortage issues, as well as Batam in Riau Island.
