Data center growth sparks protests over water shortages in Indonesia and Malaysia

Residents in Batam, Indonesia, have protested near a data center complex after water outages made cooking and bathing difficult, amid a prolonged drought and an electrical fault that disrupted the municipal supply. While residents suspect the facilities are contributing to shortages, the water utility said the nearby reservoir was depleted and the data center park draws from a different reservoir; authorities have told developers to use seawater desalination for cooling. Opposition is also growing in Malaysia, where rapid data center expansion has raised concerns about water and power demand, construction pollution and flooding. The boom is bringing investment, but experts and officials warn that its growth will require careful planning and sufficient energy and water resources.