Industry Ministry to Form National Data Centre Team
The Industry Ministry (Kemenperin) will establish a national team on data centres, involving several ministries and agencies as well as the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).
“We will organise a national data-centre team involving ministries and agencies, and I will propose that Kadin join it,” Deputy Industry Minister Faisol Riza said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Faisol hopes the team can be established soon.
“Data centres are important for industry and a driver of economic growth. We have also seen and heard reports from many ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises that data centres require substantial energy, electricity and water. Input from PLN and other ministries and agencies can help ensure these needs are managed properly so they do not unduly affect supplies for the public. Industry must manage this,” he said.
Regarding the suspension of the BDX Data Centers project in the Jatiluhur area of West Java, Faisol said his ministry would seek input from various parties as part of its assessment.
“I have not formally met with the West Java Provincial Government, but, as we have heard, the data-centre investment activity in Jatiluhur has been halted. In the near future, we may invite the provincial government and several ministries and agencies to discuss not only data centres in Jatiluhur, but also those in other locations,” he said.
He added that his ministry had met with the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), and planned to meet the Ministry of Public Works (PU) to discuss water resources for data centres.
“At last week’s meeting, we also spoke with the Ministry of ATR/BPN, and perhaps next week we will talk to the Ministry of Public Works about water resources,” he said.
Separately, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has called for data-centre development that safeguards environmental balance.
He said the development of data centres was unavoidable as the digital economy expanded, including e-commerce and other activities, increasing the need for data centres in various regions.
Each data centre requires substantial energy, electricity and clean water, he said, and these needs must be carefully calculated.
He added that data-centre development should be incorporated into regional spatial planning, coordinated between central and regional governments. Industrial areas should be prepared as integrated ecosystems in which different elements support one another.