JOHOR BAHRU (July 29): There should be greater clarity from the government when it comes to implementing sustainability or green energy goals in data centres, according to TM Global general manager of data centre architecture Isaac Goh, in a panel discussion at the Schneider Electric Innovation Day 2025, held at the Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel on Tuesday. 

TM Global is the wholesale arm of Telekom Malaysia Bhd (KL:TM). 

“There is not a lot of clarity from the relevant government agencies or local authorities on what the standards are when it comes to approving data-centre projects,” said Goh. 

He provided an example in which an ongoing data-centre project by TM Global in Johor was required to obtain the highest green certification prior to completion. 

“It came out of the blue. We were told that this is a new requirement. Plus, there are a lot of (green certification) standards out there. We have to analyse from a capex (capital expenditure) perspective,” said Goh. 

He added, “We will appreciate it if the governing bodies can provide a more gradual step-up in terms of green certification, instead of setting the highest standard, as it requires time and cost to implement. Hence, the government should have regular dialogues with industry players. We want to implement sustainable practices that are cost effective and meaningful.”

Furthermore, he pointed out that there should also be more publicly available data when it comes to data-centre construction. 

“There is not a lot of such data from the government readily available. For example, data on the grid and water stress index. If the data is available, we can analyse and pick the right location to build the next-generation data centres,” said Goh. 

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, Schneider Electric Malaysia country president Eugene Quah noted that there is an urgent need for sustainable solutions that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social resilience. 

“As we look to the future, it’s clear that progress will be driven not just by innovation, but by intentional partnerships. We believe that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. To build future-ready cities, we need to connect vision with action, ambition with expertise, and policy with purpose,” said Quah.