Technology

Malaysian state of Johor drowns any ideas for Tier 1 and Tier 2 data centers —water concerns have authorities only allowing energy-efficient builds

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Nov 27, 2025

TL;DR

AI Generated

The Malaysian state of Johor is halting proposals for Tier 1 and Tier 2 data centers due to concerns over water consumption. Authorities are only allowing the construction of Tier 3 and Tier 4 data centers, which are more energy-efficient and have lower water consumption. The move comes as a response to the significant water intake of lower-tier data centers, estimated at 40 to 50 million liters a day, compared to the 200,000 liters/day of Tier 3 and Tier 4 centers. The government aims to align new data center projects with higher environmental impact standards to reduce water usage and meet international benchmarks. Various strategies, including underwater data centers and innovative redesigns by companies like Nvidia, are being explored to address the water consumption issue in data centers.

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Six AI data centers proposed for a small town of 7,000, equal to 51 Walmart Supercenters in 17 square mile area — four out of the seven town council members have resigned from their positions as town fights back

Developers have proposed building six AI data centers in Archbald, Pennsylvania, a small town with a population of 7,000. These data centers would cover 14% of the town's 17-square-mile area and are equivalent in size to 51 Walmart Supercenters. The community is pushing back due to concerns about the impact on local utilities, noise, and light pollution. The fight has led to resignations from town council members and delays in the projects, with President Donald Trump getting involved in urging hyperscalers to address community concerns.

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