The island where locals say data centres are taking their water
Key Takeaways
- Batam residents protested over dry household taps amid data centre expansion.
- Locals claim water is being diverted to cool server infrastructure.
- Authorities blame dry weather, while experts cite a lack of transparent data.
- Global backlash is growing regarding the resource demands of AI infrastructure.
Residents of the Indonesian island of Batam have protested against local data centres, claiming that massive water consumption has left their household taps dry for months. The protests highlight growing global tensions between rapid AI infrastructure expansion and local resource availability.
While authorities blame prolonged dry spells for the shortages, experts note that water usage data remains scarce. Communities worldwide are increasingly pushing back against the heavy resource demands of data centres.
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