Amid data-centre boom, can South-east Asia keep the lights on and taps running?
The region’s DC surge is straining power grids and vital resources, raising sustainability concerns
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AS SOUTH-EAST Asia becomes the life of the data-centre party, the big test lies in managing the “hangover” – the strain on power grids and water supplies.
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand are spearheading the data-centre boom, but each faces infrastructure and environmental hurdles amid the skyrocketing demand.
Data centres are big resource guzzlers, consuming vast amounts of water globally, mainly for cooling. A typical 100 megawatt (MW) facility, for instance, can use around 4.2 million litres of water daily – equivalent to the needs of a city of 10,000 residents.
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