Indonesia’s 640MW AI Campus Faces Water Supply Review After Construction Halt

Indonesia's 640MW AI data center project in West Java is facing a review of its water supply after construction was halted due to missing environmental and building approvals. The campus, known as AI Campus 2 or CGK4, is estimated to require 384 liters of water per second, or 33,000 cubic meters daily, when fully operational. Jatiluhur Reservoir, located near the site, supplies water for communities and agriculture, making the proposed withdrawal particularly sensitive.

Governor Dedi Mulyadi of Purwakarta stated that the municipality's water utility has an allocation of 3,000 liters per second, which officials believe could accommodate BDx's needs without disruption. However, an environmental review discussion cited a lower operational requirement of 27 liters per second. The review process involves consulting independent specialists and experts from the University of Indonesia and Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency.

Construction began in September but was suspended in October when the provincial government discovered that the environmental impact assessment and building approval were missing. BDx has secured 845 megavolt-amperes of grid capacity from state utility PLN, and the first building is designed for 120 MW of IT capacity. The review aims to establish projected water withdrawals and potential impacts on existing water users, especially during dry periods.