Locals in Indonesia rebel against artificial intelligence data centers

Residents of Batam Island say that their taps have dried up and cooking and bathing have become very difficult, and they blame the artificial intelligence data centers built in the region.

Data centers used for artificial intelligence may be subject to protests around the world due to their consumption of electricity and water, straining local grids, increasing electricity bills and causing various environmental impacts, including noise.

Speaking to AFP about the situation on Batam Island, a local water distribution company official said that there was a "long drought period" in the region as a strong El Niño cycle further triggered dry weather and rainfall decreased.

Anger and unrest towards these facilities are gradually increasing in Indonesia and Malaysia, regions adjacent to Singapore, which are seen as perfect places for the construction of water-cooled data centers, which are used to ensure the uninterrupted operation of artificial intelligence tools.

Although the arrival of industry and technology initially made the local people in Batam happy, they are now protesting these facilities because they are almost unable to bathe due to the severe water shortages they face.

A 54-year-old shopkeeper living in the region said, "We cannot eat rice without water. We cannot cook vegetables without water." He argues that water outages are related to the construction of data centers.

While local people organized protests in front of Nongsa Digital Park, which will host these facilities and was declared a special economic zone, the water distribution company official in the region stated that the drought had seriously reduced the water level of the nearby Nongsa Dam and that there were disruptions in the network systems due to an electrical fault.

One protester said that in the nearby coastal village of Mata Ikan, people had to use sea water to clean themselves after using the toilet, while another said that since the water supply was cut off, he washed dishes at home by pouring water from a plastic bottle.

The government distributes water via tankers, but states that this water is "bad smelling" and "yellowish".

Singapore-based BW Digital, DayOne and Princeton Digital Group are among the companies behind the centers that are currently active or under project in Nongsa Digital Park.

Another of these companies, Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners, states that they are aware of the grievance and discontent expressed due to water outages, and says that a combination of advanced engineering, efficient architectural designs and renewable energy sources should be applied in data centers to ensure sustainable operations.

The company also counts the use of "closed circuit" water systems, which require less fresh water by reusing resources, among these measures.