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Indonesia·Technology·Climate·Human Rights·Protests

Indonesia's data centre boom raises fears over water scarcity

Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 06:33 · 1 min read

Indonesia is experiencing a rapid expansion of AI-ready data centres, with 170 facilities now operating nationwide and more planned, partly driven by stricter regulations in neighbouring Singapore pushing investors toward cities like Batam (an Indonesian island industrial hub close to Singapore). A single medium-sized data centre can consume roughly 300,000 gallons of water per day, and researchers warn that existing and planned facilities in Batam alone could account for around eight percent of the city's total water supply. Residents have already staged protests after communities faced chronic water shortages while nearby tech complexes maintained uninterrupted supply, prompting warnings from environmental researchers that unchecked data centre growth risks deepening inequality and environmental injustice in a country already vulnerable to climate-driven water scarcity.

Sources
Global VoicesAI-ready data centers are booming in Indonesia but water woes loom ↗︎
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