Chinese Renewable Energy Firm GCL ET Explores AI Data Centre Opportunities in Indonesia

Chinese renewable energy company GCL Energy Technology (GCL ET) is exploring opportunities to develop artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in Indonesia as part of its expansion strategy in Southeast Asia. Head of Strategic Development Center GCL ET Fanzhong Zeng stated in Beijing on Monday (29/6) that Southeast Asia is a key region for the company’s international AI data centre strategy, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. He noted that Indonesia is a market of focus due to its proximity to Singapore, digital economic growth, and potential energy resources. Zeng explained that Singapore’s position as a digital infrastructure and data centre hub in Asia is driving new project development in neighbouring countries, including Indonesia, given Singapore’s land and power capacity constraints. The Suzhou-based company is actively exploring AI data centre business opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia with local partners. Zeng highlighted that AI data centre opportunities are not only about computing needs but also the availability of stable, green, and efficient energy. He said each market has different energy structures, customer needs, and industrial ecosystems, so the company will not simply copy one model but will work with local partners to find suitable cooperation models. GCL ET is developing integrated solutions for AI data centre projects through an approach that combines wind, solar, energy storage, gas-fired power generation, and computing infrastructure in one system. This approach aims to address the challenges of AI data centre development, especially in regions where grid capacity may not yet be able to support large-scale data centre needs quickly. Zeng said the global growth of AI is increasing the demand for computing power, making the relationship between energy and computing increasingly close. The company’s strategy focuses on two main directions: ‘powering computing’, where GCL ET leverages its capabilities in power generation, energy management, and electricity trading to provide cheaper, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy solutions for AI data centres; and ‘empowering energy with AI’, which uses AI to improve efficiency in the energy sector, including managing renewable energy plants, electric vehicle charging stations, electricity trading systems, and energy load management. By combining these two approaches, the company aims to build a closed ecosystem between energy and computing power. Since 2023, GCL ET has invested approximately 800 million RMB (around Rp2.1 trillion) in computing power services, including AI computing infrastructure based on NVIDIA A800 and H800 systems.