Data hubs' troubled waters
The country is racing to power the global AI boom, but the unquenchably thirsty data centers it needs are already draining the water that sustains millions of lives.
The global push for AI technology is driving a surge in the construction of data centers, yet this boom comes at a steep environmental cost, particularly in terms of water consumption. Indonesia is keen to capitalize on this trend, but is grappling with the ecological consequences of its expanding digital infrastructure. In West Java's Purwakarta, a megawatt-scale facility is poised for development near Jatiluhur Dam, a critical source of drinking water for Jakarta and the province's rice-growing area.
The proposed 640-MW project, to be built by Singapore's BDx Data Centers, would initially consume 6,000 cubic meters of water daily, a volume comparable to the daily needs of 15,000 households. This demand is expected to surge significantly over the next decade. The looming water crisis prompted West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi to intervene, halting the project due to the lack of a thorough environmental impact assessment.
The governor's decision followed his attendance at the site's July groundbreaking. The controversy over water resources is not unique to West Java; in the Riau Islands, residents of Batam are protesting data center projects they claim are depleting the local water supply. Despite authorities' assertions that the facilities are not yet operational and that water shortages are solely due to an extended dry season, these disputes highlight the potential repercussions of unchecked data infrastructure expansion.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post Academia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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