The International Institute of Refrigeration and the ASEAN Centre for Energy co-hosted a webinar on 12 May 2026 on the rising energy and cooling demands of data centres across Southeast Asia.
The session brought together researchers, policy experts and industry practitioners for a panel discussion and open Q&A. It focused on energy demand uncertainty, policy drivers, sustainable cooling technologies, and regional collaboration.
Speakers discussed the difficulty of forecasting electricity demand as data centres expand across Southeast Asia. The session highlighted rapid infrastructure growth, changing workloads and AI-driven computing as factors that make projections more complex for regional energy planning.
The webinar also examined EU policy frameworks, including energy efficiency directives and sustainability reporting standards, as examples that could inform data centre policy development in Southeast Asia and other regions.
Cooling systems were presented as a significant part of total data centre energy consumption. The session covered current technologies and practices, including advanced heat exchangers and waste heat recovery solutions, as approaches to reducing environmental impact.
The event was moderated by Souhir Al-Hammami, Director of Scientific and Technical Information at the International Institute of Refrigeration. Speakers included Yudiandra Yuwono, Senior Energy System Advisor at ASEAN Centre for Energy; Analaura Ransdale, Public Affairs, Danfoss Climate Solutions; and Prof. Shuangquan Shao of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
