Ai Data Centers Drive Global Energy Emissions Surge Perigon With the right mix of policy support, market access and infrastructure planning, asean can power data centre growth without driving up emissions. “asean’s booming data centre industry risks derailing energy transition goals without urgent action,” said shabrina nadhila, energy analyst at ember. Falling behind on renewable access for data centres could erode regional competitiveness, while timely action can attract industry investment and fast track power sector transition. electricity demand from data centres is projected to rise steeply by 2030.
What Does Data Really Say About Carbon Emissions In The Asean Region According to the white paper, utilising clean energy to power data centres is a good way of reducing carbon emissions. it recommends that asean governments implement discounted electricity rates or tax breaks for data centre operators that use clean energy as their main power source. Across asean, electricity demand from data centre is expected to rise sharply. without strong energy efficiency measures and renewable energy access, the emissions from this growth could make it difficult for asean member states (ams) to meet their climate targets. Malaysia’s aspirations to become asean’s sustainable data centre hub are within reach. the groundwork is already being laid through forward thinking policies, corporate green initiatives, and technological innovations. Up to 30% of southeast asia’s booming data center industry could be powered by solar and wind by 2030, without relying on battery storage, according to a report released today, may 27, 2025, by the london based think tank ember.
6 Ways Data Centres Can Cut Their Emissions Without Compromising The Ai Malaysia’s aspirations to become asean’s sustainable data centre hub are within reach. the groundwork is already being laid through forward thinking policies, corporate green initiatives, and technological innovations. Up to 30% of southeast asia’s booming data center industry could be powered by solar and wind by 2030, without relying on battery storage, according to a report released today, may 27, 2025, by the london based think tank ember. Transmission and distribution operators can set up renewable energy microgrids for data centres – isolating them from national grids and enabling more self sustaining operations powered by renewables. In conclusion, southeast asia’s data centre expansion is both an opportunity and a risk. the digital economy can thrive while advancing the clean energy transition — but only if governments act decisively to scale up renewables, reform markets, and embed efficiency. The regions hosting asean’s leading data center hubs are endowed with abundant solar and wind resources—an untapped advantage in the race to decarbonize digital infrastructure. indonesia’s java madura bali and batam grids alone hold a combined potential of 69 gw in solar and nearly 5 gw in wind. Southeast asian countries are eager to make more progress on the asean power grid, which was in the spotlight this week as malaysia, singapore and vietnam announced their intention to explore an undersea cable for renewable energy trade at the asean summit on monday.
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