Strict environmental conditions imposed on data centres, says Malaysian PM Anwar

PETALING JAYA – Strict environmental conditions are in place to address concerns over data centre operations in the country, says Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.He said the companies involved had all agreed to meet the requirements.“Yes, these are the conditions imposed... and they have accepted,” he told reporters after attending the Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI programme at Universiti Malaya on Nov 4.Anwar was responding to questions about whether enough was being done to address environmental concerns.Earlier on Nov 4, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Ghani also said the government will ensure that the development of data centres does not affect electricity supply to existing industries.He said data centres were important infrastructure for supporting the adoption of emerging technologies, but their development must not disrupt the energy needs of existing sectors.According to Johari, Malaysia had approved 117 data centres with a combined maximum energy demand of approximately 23,500MW upon completion.Of the total, 55 were already operational, while the remaining projects were at various stages of planning and construction. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK