Indonesia AI data center hit by water review and protests
West Java has suspended construction of BDx Data Centers' planned 640MW AI campus (AI Campus 2 / CGK4) while authorities review its water needs; the environmental impact assessment (AMDAL) and building permit (PBG) have not been issued. The Institute for Essential Services Reform estimates the six-building campus could need roughly 384 liters per second (about 33,000 cubic meters a day) at full scale, while an environmental review discussion cited an operational requirement of only 27 liters per second — the two figures appear to concern different supply arrangements or stages, which officials have not clarified. Separately, hundreds of residents on Batam protested outside Nongsa Digital Park on October 5, saying their homes have had no running water for months; BP Batam denies diverting household water to data centers, blames a long dry spell and has told operators to switch to desalinated seawater. BDx still targets early 2027 for its first contracted phase, subject to approvals.
Water availability and permitting disputes are becoming a real constraint on AI data center buildouts in Southeast Asia, potentially delaying regional compute capacity.
Indonesia's review of BDx's planned 640MW AI campus highlights growing scrutiny of water availability and environmental approvals for large-scale data centers. Image: BDx Data Centers, via Data Center Dynamics (DCD)
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A planned 640-megawatt AI data center in Indonesia remains on hold as authorities scrutinize its water requirements and outstanding permits.
West Java officials are reviewing water requirements for BDx Data Centers’ proposed AI campus near Jatiluhur Reservoir, where construction was suspended in September over incomplete environmental and building approvals. Independent specialists have been consulted to examine the project’s potential impact on local water resources.
The review comes as Indonesia attracts investment in domestic AI computing capacity. Permitting delays could affect when that infrastructure becomes available to enterprises planning regional deployments.
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