Malaysia had approved 445.04 million litres a day (MLD) of water for data centres for 2025 to 2030 as of October 2026: 389.04 MLD for Johor and Selangor and 56 MLD for Negeri Sembilan (The Star, 20 Oct 2026). In 2024 the states granted far less than data centres asked for: Johor 21% of the volume requested and Selangor 28% (EdgeProp).
Johor charges data centres RM5.33 per cubic metre from 1 August 2025 (The Star), allows a WUE of 1.8 without publishing the unit (w.media), and since 10 March 2026 considers only Tier 3 and Tier 4 air-cooled designs (Malay Mail). A 20 MW AI hall at 70% load and MITI’s recommended WUE of 2.2 uses about 740 m³ of water a day.
- 445.04 MLD
- Data-centre water approved, 2025–2030 (The Star)
- 21%
- Share of requested water Johor granted, 2024 (EdgeProp)
- RM5.33 /m³
- Johor data-centre water tariff from 1 Aug 2025 (The Star)
- About 740 m³/day
- A 20 MW hall at 70% load and WUE 2.2 (calculated below)
How much water do Malaysian data centres get, by state?
| State | Approved 2025–2030 | Granted vs requested, 2024 | Tariff | Reserve margin | State rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor | 389.04 MLD with Selangor (The Star) | 21%: 6.10 of 29.1 MLD (EdgeProp) | RM5.33/m³ from 1 Aug 2025 (The Star) | About 14.4%, Jun 2026 (The Star) | Technical committee vets every application (The Star); WUE 1.8; Tier 1–2 not approved since Nov 2025 (NST via w.media); Tier 3–4 air-cooled only since 10 Mar 2026 (Malay Mail) |
| Selangor | Shared with Johor (above) | 28%: 1.61 of 5.71 MLD (EdgeProp) | Not confirmed from a primary source | 16.23% (1,055 MLD), Aug 2026 (Malay Mail) | Approvals subject to sufficient water and power (The Star) |
| Negeri Sembilan | 56 MLD (The Star) | Not published | Not published | Not published | None published |
Of the 445.04 MLD, 63.90 MLD (14.36%) was approved for data centres already operating, as of June 2026 (The Star). Selangor projects future data-centre water demand of about 632 MLD (Malay Mail, 6 Aug 2026).
How much of their approved water do data centres actually use?
About half, the minister told Parliament: data centres were using roughly half of their approved power and water capacity (EdgeProp). The government has said operators that over-reserve water or electricity will be penalised, but no rate has been published (w.media, Jun 2026).
What water tariff do data centres pay?
In Johor, RM5.33 per cubic metre from 1 August 2025, under a tariff category created for data centres (The Star). Data centres also pay a capital contribution for supply works; no amount is published. We have not found a primary source for other states’ data-centre water tariffs.
What are Johor’s water rules for data centres?
- A state technical committee reviews every data-centre water application (The Star, 5 Jan 2026).
- The allowable WUE is 1.8; the unit has not been published (w.media).
- Reclaimed or alternative water can be required for some data centres (w.media).
- No Tier 1 or Tier 2 data centres approved since November 2025 (NST via w.media).
- Since 10 March 2026, only Tier 3 and Tier 4 air-cooled designs are considered (Malay Mail); evaporative-cooled halls wait until 2027 for water approval (w.media).
More on the Johor page.
What WUE must Malaysian data centres meet?
MITI’s guideline recommends a design WUE of 2.2 m³ per MWh of IT energy, which is the same number as 2.2 litres per kWh; actual WUE is disclosed yearly (MITI). It is a guideline for DESAC incentive applicants, not a general law. Johor’s 1.8 is stricter if it is in the same unit, which the state has not confirmed. More on the PUE, WUE and CUE page.
How much water does a data centre use per day?
It depends on IT load and WUE. A worked example, for a 20 MW AI hall at 70% average load:
- IT energy: 20 MW × 0.70 × 8,760 hours = 122,640 MWh a year.
- Water at WUE 2.2: 122,640 × 2.2 = 269,808 m³ a year.
- Per day: 269,808 ÷ 365 = about 739 m³, or about 0.74 MLD.
- At Johor’s 1.8 (if in the same unit): 220,752 m³ a year, about 605 m³ a day.
A dry-cooled hall uses close to none for cooling. Rain can cover part of the top-up: see the rain-fed calculation on the cooling climate page. Water per AI answer is on the per-answer page.
What is not public
We could not confirm these from a published source as of 10 November 2026. Do not assume them:
- Water allocation by site
- Data-centre water tariffs outside Johor from a primary source
- The capital contribution amount
- The unit of Johor’s WUE 1.8
- The penalty rate for over-reserved water
Croutons Research publishes open data and methods on AI data centres in Malaysia. See the open method for measuring AI work per megawatt.
Sources
- NST via w.media, Johor stops approving Tier 1 and 2
- The Star, Johor water technical committee (5 Jan 2026)
- w.media, how Johor deals with thirsty data centres
- Malay Mail, Johor refuses high-water designs (10 Mar 2026)
- EdgeProp, water granted at 21–28% of requests
- The Star, Johor water reserve margin (Jun 2026)
- The Star, Johor water tariff for data centres (Aug 2025)
- Malay Mail, Selangor exco on data-centre water (6 Aug 2026)
- The Star, MB on approvals subject to water and power (8 Sep 2026)
- The Star, 12.3 GW approved and data-centre water (20 Oct 2026)
- MITI, Guidelines for Sustainable Development of Data Centres (PDF)
- w.media, penalties for over-reserving water and electricity (Jun 2026)
- EdgeProp, data centres using about half of approved power and water capacity
Last checked 10 November 2026