Data centers continue to expand rapidly across Southeast Asia. Our second Study Group last Friday brought together journalists Gerry Flynn (Mongabay) and Nicole Lim (Kontenitalist) to share insights from their reporting in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia while working on the ERC’s Dirty Data series investigating the human and environmental toll of such expansions in the region.
Gerald highlighted how the pace of data center growth in Thailand is putting pressure on water resources in drought-prone areas, raising concerns about competition between industry and agriculture. Nicole, meanwhile, shared her reporting from Johor, Malaysia, where the data centre boom has been accompanied by soil erosion, water pollution and other environmental challenges. The discussion explored how rising energy demand could lock countries in Southeast Asia into greater fossil fuel dependence, exacerbating climate change and its knock-on effects on food security.
The speakers also questioned the idea that data centers are major local job creators. While construction creates employment, they noted that relatively few long-term jobs remain once facilities are operational.
Another key theme was the speed at which the industry is growing. According to the speakers, regulations across Southeast Asia are struggling to keep up. They pointed to a lack of transparency, from limited information on water and energy use to inaccessible environmental assessments, unclear project plans and insufficient community consultation. This makes it difficult for journalists to assess the impacts of these projects and for local communities to understand how they may be affected.
The Q&A broadened the conversation beyond data centers to the relationship between technology and development. Participants and speakers reflected on how AI and digital infrastructure are often framed as bringing progress and economic development without making clear who actually benefits from these investments, as well as who bears their environmental and social impacts. Participants also discussed the role journalism can play in bringing greater transparency to these issues.
The ERC expresses a big thank you to Gerald and Nicole for sharing their reporting experience and knowledge, and to everyone who joined and contributed to the discussion.
Dirty Data is ERC’s global collaborative investigation on data center expansion across Asia, South America and Europe, involving over 40 reporters, photographers, editors, and designers. You can read the series here: dirtydata.earth.
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