Recently, Charles, the Chairman of the Malaysian National Water Services Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Water Commission"), issued a serious statement at a press conference on the issue of data center water use, calling on the government to actively promote the development of data center business while comprehensively assessing its impact on local water resources, to ensure that the expansion of this industry does not threaten the safety of people's water supply.

With the rapid development of technology, especially the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) generation technology, data centers are playing an increasingly important role in Malaysia's economic landscape. As the core facility for information storage and computation, data centers not only consume a large amount of electricity, but also require a significant amount of water resources for cooling. Charles, the chairman of the Water Affairs Commission, pointed out that although the development of data centers can help promote economic growth, the government must pay high attention to their consumption of water resources while attracting foreign investment and promoting the development of this industry, to ensure that it does not affect the water security of future generations.

According to Charles, Malaysia has been developing its data center business since 2000, but at that time, data centers were mainly used for information storage, with relatively low water and electricity consumption and minimal impact on people's water use. However, with the continuous advancement of technology and the surge in storage and computing demands, the water and electricity consumption of data centers has significantly increased, which has aroused deep concern from the Water Affairs Commission.

Charles emphasized that in order to ensure that the development of data centers does not put pressure on overall water resources, the government must plan the water management of data centers as soon as possible to ensure that the growth of this industry does not squeeze the water demand in industrial, residential and other fields. He pointed out that the Water Affairs Commission is working on optimizing water supply policies, regulations, and technical compliance requirements related to the development of data centers, including studying the minimum usage ratio requirements for alternative water sources such as recycled water, rainwater, and desalinated seawater in data centers.

Malaysia's water resources mainly come from rivers, dam reserves, and groundwater. According to statistics, 81% of raw water comes from rivers, 17% comes from dam reserves, while groundwater accounts for only 2%. Under such limited water resources, the high water consumption problem in data centers undoubtedly exacerbates the pressure on water resource management.

To address this challenge, the Water Commission calls on the government to refer to other countries' control measures for data center water usage and impose moderate limits. This includes controlling the amount of raw water used and promoting the use of recycled water to reduce dependence on natural water sources. Charles stated that through reasonable planning and management, a balance between data center development and water resource protection can be achieved, ensuring sustainable economic development and water security for people's livelihoods.