As industrialisation, digital infrastructure and climate pressures reshape demand, companies are being pushed to look beyond how much water they consume and ask whether the wider systems they depend on can sustain long-term growth.
The region must strengthen grids and clean energy capacity to incorporate AI for efficiency, experts say. But in China, the technology is no silver bullet for decarbonising energy systems.
The country's energy regulator said data centres now account for 9.28 per cent of total electricity consumption, while prolonged hot weather due to El Niño is driving up cooling demand and forcing Malaysia to reassess its power needs.