SHAH ALAM, Nov 12 — The state's data centre industry must be supported by careful water and electricity supply planning to prevent resource shortages from affecting residents’ needs in the future.
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Zone 12 councillor K. Thayalan said the industry’s high energy and water needs must be addressed, particularly over the next three to four years.
This is important to ensure the industry’s growth does not compromise the public’s access to essential resources, despite the economic opportunities the sector offers.
“The current government is focusing on data centres. This is a positive initiative given the changing times and current economic landscape, and Malaysia is seizing the opportunities in this sector,” he told Media Selangor at the MBPJ headquarters on Tuesday (November 10).
In this regard, Thayalan proposed exploring alternative energy, such as solar panels and other green energy sources, to meet the industry’s electricity needs.
He added that the potential for collecting and recycling water, including floodwater, should be studied so that it can be used in data centre cooling systems, which require large volumes of water.
“We need to look at how water can be collected and recycled, including floodwater, for use in data centre cooling systems,” Thayalan said.
Essential resources such as water and electricity supplies must be given due consideration as the state government steps up efforts to develop the industry and data centres, to ensure the sector’s growth remains sustainable.
Previously, the state government identified data centre development as one of Selangor's emerging economic sectors, following rising demand for digital infrastructure and data storage services.
