Who approves a data center, what its power costs and how it is allocated, which tax breaks apply, where data must stay and what water rules bind. Every rule carries its status, its date and a source. Countries are added as they are researched.
Since about mid-2024 Malaysia has stopped approving new data centres that do not serve AI or high-technology use, according to the Prime Minister. Every new project now needs clearance from a federal Data Centre Task Force, and that clearance depends on spare power and water. Johor hosts most of the country's capacity and has paused new water-cooled builds until about mid-2027.
Singapore controls data centre growth by handing out power in competitive government calls. The latest round in August 2026 gave 200MW at a new Jurong Island park to four operators, on condition that each site is highly efficient and draws at least half its power from green sources. A Digital Infrastructure Bill, first read in Parliament on 8 September 2026, would require a licence for every data centre of 3MW or more and is waiting for its Second Reading.
Indonesia lets private companies host most data offshore, but banks, payment firms and government bodies must keep systems in the country. Power is the main constraint, and PLN, the state utility, is signing very large supply deals while grid tariffs have stayed flat through 2026. A new personal data regulation, PP 33/2026, takes effect on 16 January 2027 and sets rules for sending personal data abroad.
Thailand has frozen its data centre pipeline while it rewrites the rules. On 4 September 2026 a new Cabinet-level board paused construction on 49 projects and froze approvals for 117 more. New standards on building definition, zoning, power tariffs, water and fuel storage are being finalised in October 2026. Until those standards are approved and published, no new project should expect permits, utility connections or BOI approval.
Vietnam's biggest open question for data centres is the electricity tariff. The power ministry told EVN in April 2026 to bill data centres at the cheaper production rate, yet the State Audit Office and EVN Ho Chi Minh City still apply the business rate and have pursued about 11.35 billion dong in arrears. Foreign investors face no ownership cap on data centre services, and new laws since January 2026 add tax breaks for AI data centres alongside tighter data storage and transfer rules.
The Philippines has no single data centre law, so projects rely on general investment, power and privacy rules. Data centres sit in the top tier of the 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan, and a July 2026 executive order now requires secret government data to stay in the country. Power remains the main constraint, after Luzon grid red alerts and rotating outages in May 2026.
India has no national data centre policy in force, so each state sets its own terms on land, power and incentives. Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka all issued new or expanded data centre policies in 2026, and most now tie support to renewable power or efficiency targets. The largest national change is the data protection regime, which brings most obligations and the cross-border transfer rules into force on 13 May 2027.
The UAE has no single licence for data centres, so projects move through free zone, land and utility approvals in each emirate. The biggest rule in play is a US export rule from 10 July 2026 that lets G42 and Core42 receive advanced AI chips without a licence, but only until 6 April 2027 unless they become US companies. Power is cheaper in Abu Dhabi than Dubai, and Abu Dhabi is still designing a special tariff for data centres.
Saudi Arabia requires data centre operators to register with the telecom and technology regulator CST since 1 January 2024, and cloud providers need a CST class that decides which data they may host. Licensed cloud computing gets a flat power tariff of 18 halalas per kWh, and government data must stay in the Kingdom. Advanced US chips arrive only through case by case licences such as Humain's November 2025 approval, because Saudi Arabia has no A:5 status.
Qatar regulates cloud and data centre activity through a 2022 Cloud Policy Framework, CRA cloud regulations, national cyber security policies and a 2016 personal data law. We found no dedicated data centre licence. Large AI builds, such as the US$20 billion Qai and Brookfield venture, also need US export licences for advanced chips.
Bahrain says it is the only country with a Data Embassy law, which lets foreign customers keep data stored in Bahrain under their home country's law. Commercial and other unsubsidised users have paid up to 32 fils per kWh since January 2026, about US$0.085. Personal data can leave Bahrain without approval only to countries on an official adequacy list.