The Johor state government has asked investors who want to build data centres that use water-based cooling systems to be delayed by at least 18 months until mid-2027, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
The decision was made following concerns over the security of water supply in the state. Johor is currently facing a shortage of water resources due to drought, pollution, and a sharp increase in demand from the industrial sector. Although water consumption is 79% lower than what data centres require, Johor is still facing water shortage issues.
The data centre sector is a very intensive user of water. According to DPM Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof yesterday, data centres in Johor use 6.1 million litres of water per day (MLD) per day, with this expected to increase to 384 MLD by 2030
Johor currently has 15 data centres in operation, with the state government approving over 40 more to be built. Although the overall water supply is sufficient, the state faces problems of imbalance in management and distribution. Water resources are concentrated in the central and eastern areas of Johor but demand is high in the southern part.
This is certainly not news that the Johor government wants to hear, which is very aggressive in its desire to make it the AI Capital of Malaysia. A few weeks ago, water supplies in Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Kulai and Pontian were cut off due to pollution in the Johor River due to sand mining activities.
Warnings about the water supply issue have been given by several environmental groups but have not been heeded. The rice has not turned into porridge (due to the lack of water in Johor) and it is not too late to change course before the rice remains rice because there is absolutely no water in Johor.
