DCI Indonesia and Gallant Ventures, led by billionaire Anthoni Salim and his family, are jointly developing a gigawatt-scale data center complex on Bintan Island. The project aims to meet growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services in nearby Singapore.

Prime Location Close to Singapore’s Data Market

The data center will occupy a 700-hectare site on Bintan Island, a popular resort area less than an hour by ferry from Singapore. Otto Toto Sugiri, co-founder and president director of DCI, said the location will attract both regional and global companies. DCI plans to lease or sell plots to hyperscalers and cloud computing firms, while also constructing its own facility on one of the plots.

Energy Infrastructure to Support Data Center Operations

The Bintan complex is expected to be operational by 2027. Initially, it will use electricity from fossil fuel power plants before shifting to renewable energy from a 2-gigawatt solar farm and a 900-megawatt gas-fired plant being developed by Gallant Ventures. “We are major land owners and utility infrastructure providers for both resorts and industrial parks,” Eugene Cho Park, CEO of Gallant Ventures, said in a text message to Forbes Asia.

DCI’s Investment and Expansion Plans

Since 2011, DCI has invested over $900 million to build roughly 120 megawatts of data center capacity around Jakarta. The company estimates it could spend up to $18 billion to reach a long-term goal of 1.9 gigawatts in Indonesia and other countries, based on a capex of up to $10 million per megawatt. “DCI will expand our operational capacity in line with client demand, which is growing rapidly to serve the needs of Indonesia and Southeast Asia’s digital transformation: cloud and AI,” Sugiri said.

Rising Demand for Local Data Services in Indonesia

Indonesia, with more than 220 million internet users, is seeing increased demand for local data storage and processing. Sugiri noted that platforms like Facebook, Shopee, and TikTok are expanding in Indonesia, which drives the need for more data center infrastructure.

PHOTO: MNC MEDIA

This article was created with AI assistance.