{
  "id": 19914487,
  "title": "Queen calls for water, electricity use by data centres to be evaluated",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/queen-calls-for-water-electricity-use-by-data-centres-to-be-evaluated",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T04:04:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/11/14/queen-calls-for-water-electricity-use-by-data-centres-to-be-evaluated"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah of Malaysia has urged authorities, the private sector, and the public to evaluate the environmental impact of data centres in the country. She highlighted concerns over their high electricity and water consumption, land misuse, and their overall effects on society, including noise levels and constant illumination.\n\nThe Queen, who is also the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), emphasized that technological advancement must be balanced with environmental sustainability. As climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion are already significant issues, she urged the educated community to take responsibility in mitigating environmental degradation.\n\nRaja Zarith stressed that artificial intelligence (AI) should be used to enhance societal well-being, rather than solely for financial gain. As the institution that founded Malaysia’s first Faculty of Artificial Intelligence, UTM has a crucial role in ensuring ethical, responsible, and human-centered technological development. She reminded graduates that AI's rapid evolution offers opportunities and challenges, necessitating continuous learning and skill enhancement to adapt to technological changes.",
  "summary": "Raja Zarith Sofiah cautions on the impact of these data centres on the environment and people's well-being.",
  "key_points": [
    "Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah urges evaluation of data centres' environmental impact",
    "Concerns over electricity and water consumption, land misuse, societal effects",
    "Emphasizes balancing tech advancement with sustainability"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Queen's call for scrutiny shifts the focus from rapid technological expansion toward a necessary balance between digital infrastructure growth and the preservation of essential natural resources.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Bernama",
        "title": "General : Evaliuate Consumption Of Water, Electricity By Data Centres Carefully - Queen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/general-evaliuate-consumption-of-water-electricity-by-data-centres",
        "published": "2026-11-14T01:52:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}