Thailand sets noise, water use limits for data centers

BANGKOK (AFP) — Thailand's Cabinet agreed on new rules on noise and water use for data centers on Tuesday, after a review sparked by public concern over an artificial intelligence-driven construction boom.

"The use of national resources must not adversely affect the public," Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas told a news conference.

The government said in September it would tighten oversight of data centers, asking developers of nearly 50 under-construction projects to pause work until new rules were drawn up.

Proposed standards include limiting noise at site boundaries to 70 A-weighted decibels, according to a government data center board.

That is slightly quieter than a vacuum cleaner, according to a comparison chart published by Yale University.

The government also proposed capping nearby temperature increases to 1 to 2 degrees Celsius, and said cooling water must be recirculated and tested before discharge.

New zoning rules were also approved in principle, with centers consuming more than 20 megawatts of energy set to be located in industrial zones and face stricter oversight.

Narit Therdsteerasukdi, from Thailand's Board of Investment, said 57 data center projects have been approved across the country. Seventeen are operating, 20 have received construction permits and 20 are preparing to invest.

Ekniti said the government also received many speculative applications.

More than 110 applicants had requested over 30,000 megawatts of electricity, he said, but only about a quarter or fewer had genuine investment plans.

Eligible projects approved before Aug. 14 will have one year to meet environmental guidelines.