Malaysia's push to be Southeast Asia's data-centre hub is clashing with its clean energy goals. By end of 2024, 54 data centres expected to be operational. Rising to 81 by 2035,says government minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. This boom in data sites comes as nation pledges to cut fossil fuel reliance by 2050 .
Between 2021 and mid-2025, Malaysian Investment Development Authority okayed around 144.4 billion ringgit (US$36.3 billion) for data centres,cloud computing. Big names like Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services are fueling this growth. But energy needs of these facilities are huge, needing constant power,cooling to stay optimal .
Gas-fired turbines' role is increasing. In April,gas-fired power rose 50.5 percent year-on-year,hitting record 5.54 terawatt-hours. Fastest rise in eight years,meeting about 80 percent of electricity demand,saw an 11.5 percent hike in consumption at same time. Blame expansion of data centres,electrification,climate pressures,electric vehicle adoption.
As Malaysia chases its data centre dreams,question remains: how to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability…
