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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Malaysia data centres battle higher power costs, unclear pricing
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The operators of energy-hungry data centres in Malaysia are scrambling to reassess costs after steeper-than-expected power tariffs kicked in on Tuesday, industry players said, clouding prospects for the Southeast Asian hub of digital rates for electricity, which forms the bulk of operating costs, make Malaysia a magnet for data centres compared to land-scarce neighbour Singapore, luring billions of dollars in investment from companies like Microsoft and tariff hike unveiled in December, with details fleshed out last month, could boost electricity costs by 10% to 14% before surcharges for major consumers such as data centres, an industry official and a government official said.A key element of the uncertainty stems from the bands used to calculate power bills in the tiered pricing system, with industry players saying most major centres are expected to fall in the ultra-high voltage category with the highest many in the industry unprepared for the scale of increases, some investors may now adopt a wait-and-watch approach, said Gary Goh, founder and director of data centre advisory firm Sprint DC Consulting."For a 100-megawatt (MW) facility, this could translate to an additional $15 million to $20 million per year without considering fuel surcharge," he government plans to announce a fuel surcharge every month that reflects changes in fuel prices and foreign exchange. This month the surcharge stands at zero, state grid operator Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) said on its website on is set for the region's fastest surge in data centre power demand, tripling to 21% by 2027 from 7% in 2022, a joint report in May by consultancy Bain & Co and firms such as Google and Singapore's state-owned Temasek new tariff structure means operators of big data centre operators will now account for a higher share of grid management costs than smaller peers, said Cheam Tat Inn, managing director of the Malaysian arm of U.S. operator Equinix."If you are a large data centre, then you pay for a bigger share of the infrastructure or distribution network costs," Cheam with two data centres in Malaysia, was looking at various providers of alternative energy in anticipation of higher tariffs, Cheam said last declined to comment, directing queries to Malaysia's Energy Commission, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended the increases as necessary to boost social now, Malaysia had used lower power prices and a stable power grid to lure investment in data tariff hikes could drive investment towards neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand, said Mahadhir Aziz, president of the Data Centre Association of Malaysia, which groups firms such as Bridge, AirTrunk and DayOne, as well as Equinix."The government would have to look at this now, at least regionally," he added."Data centres or digital infrastructure business, while they may have invested in land and buildings here, can actually still reconsider their investments."
Saudi Gazette
10-05-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Google to pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle claims over unauthorized data collection
AUSTIN — Google has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to settle claims that the company collected users' data without their consent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday. The settlement resolves allegations that Google unlawfully tracked users' locations, recorded private searches, and collected biometric identifiers such as voiceprints and facial geometry through services including Google Assistant and Google Photos. Paxton described the resolution as a warning to major technology companies. 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,' he said in a statement. 'For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.' The claims, originally filed in 2022, centered on Google's data practices involving geolocation tracking, incognito browsing, and the use of biometric information without user consent. Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the agreement addresses 'old claims,' noting that many of the company's policies in question had already been revised.'We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,' he said. Castañeda added that the settlement does not require Google to make any further product said the $1.4 billion payout is the largest ever obtained by a U.S. state in a data privacy case against deal follows a series of other major settlements Texas has reached with the tech company, including a $700 million settlement in December 2023 over allegations related to Google's Android app store and anti-competitive a parallel case, Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over accusations that it collected and used biometric data from users without permission. — Agencies
