Water Stewardship in Indonesian Data Centers: Implementing Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard Framework in Tropical Climate Contexts with Regional Water Challenges

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Executive Summary

Water stewardship in data centers represents an increasingly critical sustainability challenge as digital infrastructure expands globally, particularly in tropical regions facing water resource constraints and climate change impacts. The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard provides an internationally recognized framework defining water stewardship as water use that is socially and culturally equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial, achieved through stakeholder-inclusive processes involving site and catchment-based actions.

Indonesian data centers operate within complex water contexts where tropical humid climate conditions create elevated cooling demands while regional water resources face increasing pressure from multiple competing uses. The World Bank emphasizes that water security underpins Indonesia's Vision 2045 to become the world's fifth-largest economy, requiring systematic approaches to water resource management across all economic sectors including rapidly expanding digital infrastructure. The AWS Standard framework, successfully implemented by companies including Apple in their global data center operations, provides proven methodologies adaptable to Indonesian contexts for ensuring that digital infrastructure development proceeds sustainably without compromising community water security or ecosystem health.

Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard Framework

The Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard represents a comprehensive framework for responsible water use developed through multi-stakeholder processes involving businesses, civil society organizations, and water management authorities. The AWS Standard defines five core outcomes that responsible water stewardship must achieve: good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality status, important water-related areas that are healthy, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for all. These outcomes recognize that water challenges cannot be addressed by individual entities in isolation but require collective action within shared catchments where multiple stakeholders depend on common water resources.

The AWS Standard emphasizes catchment-based approaches recognizing that effective water stewardship requires understanding and engagement with broader water systems beyond individual facility boundaries. This framework proves particularly relevant for data centers as major water users in regions where water resources face multiple pressures from agricultural, industrial, municipal, and environmental needs requiring careful coordination and shared responsibility among all water users.

Data Center Water Use and Tropical Climate Challenges

Data center water consumption occurs primarily through cooling systems necessary to maintain optimal operating temperatures for IT equipment generating substantial heat loads during operation. In tropical humid climates, cooling requirements intensify due to elevated ambient temperatures and humidity levels that reduce the efficiency of conventional cooling technologies. Research documents that data centers in Southeast Asia consume up to 10% more energy for cooling compared to similar facilities in temperate climates, with cooling systems contributing 35-40% of total facility energy consumption versus global averages around 30%.

Water consumption patterns in data centers vary significantly depending on cooling technology choices. Conventional air-cooled systems with evaporative cooling consume substantial water volumes through evaporation processes, while more advanced technologies including closed-loop liquid cooling and immersion cooling can dramatically reduce or eliminate water consumption. The AWS Standard framework provides systematic approaches for data center operators to assess their water use, identify opportunities for efficiency improvements, and implement solutions appropriate to local conditions and catchment contexts.

Tropical climate conditions create additional complexities for water quality management in data center cooling systems. Elevated temperatures can accelerate algal growth and biological contamination in cooling water, requiring more intensive treatment or creating opportunities for nature-based treatment approaches that align with AWS principles emphasizing ecosystem-based solutions where feasible and appropriate.

Indonesian Water Context and Strategic Importance

Indonesia's water resource context presents both challenges and opportunities for data center water stewardship implementation. The World Bank emphasizes that water security underpins Indonesia's Vision 2045 to become the world's fifth-largest economy, requiring integrated approaches to water resource management that balance competing demands while ensuring environmental sustainability and equitable access. Rapid economic development and urbanization increase pressure on water resources, while climate change creates additional uncertainties affecting water availability and quality.

Water quality challenges affect many Indonesian water sources, with contamination from domestic and industrial sources creating treatment requirements for most water uses including cooling systems. The Water.org analysis highlights that water access and quality challenges affect communities across Indonesia, creating contexts where data center water stewardship must consider not only operational efficiency but also contributions to broader community water security and environmental protection.

Regional variations in water availability create diverse contexts for data center development. Some regions experience water abundance with seasonal variation, while others face more consistent scarcity requiring careful water resource planning. The AWS Standard catchment-based approach proves particularly valuable in Indonesian contexts where water management responsibilities span multiple government levels and agencies, requiring coordination among diverse stakeholders with different priorities and perspectives.

Apple Case Study: AWS Standard Implementation in Data Centers

Apple's implementation of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard in their global data center operations provides valuable insights into practical approaches for achieving responsible water management in large-scale digital infrastructure. Apple became the first company to achieve AWS certification for data centers, demonstrating feasibility of implementing comprehensive water stewardship programs within the technology sector. The Apple Water Strategy document outlines five integrated pillars that align with AWS Standard requirements while addressing specific data center operational contexts.

Apple's implementation demonstrates practical approaches to AWS Standard requirements through specific technologies and programs. In their Prineville, Oregon data center, Apple partnered with the City of Prineville and Salt River Project to develop aquifer storage and recovery projects addressing seasonal water availability variations. This collaborative approach exemplifies AWS Standard principles emphasizing stakeholder engagement and collective action within shared catchments. Apple's use of nature-based treatment solutions, including sphagnum moss systems that eliminate chemical treatment needs while improving water quality, demonstrates innovation in meeting AWS requirements for good water quality status through ecosystem-based approaches.

The Apple case study shows that comprehensive water stewardship in data centers requires integration of technology choices, operational practices, stakeholder partnerships, and watershed restoration activities. Apple's commitment to 100% freshwater withdrawal replenishment in water-stressed areas demonstrates leadership in addressing AWS Standard requirements for sustainable water balance and contribution to broader catchment resilience beyond individual facility operations.

Adapting AWS Standard for Indonesian Data Center Contexts

Implementing the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard in Indonesian data centers requires thoughtful adaptation of the framework to address specific tropical climate conditions, regional water governance structures, and local community contexts. The five-step AWS implementation framework provides systematic approaches applicable across diverse situations while allowing flexibility for context-specific solutions appropriate to local conditions and stakeholder priorities.

Step 1 (Gather and Understand) in Indonesian contexts requires comprehensive assessment of catchment conditions including seasonal rainfall patterns, dry season water availability, water quality challenges from multiple sources, and competing water demands from agriculture, industry, municipalities, and environmental flows. Understanding Indonesia's multi-level water governance structures spanning national ministries, provincial authorities, district governments, and local utilities (PDAMs) proves essential for effective stakeholder engagement and collaborative action. Tropical climate data collection must account for monsoon patterns creating substantial seasonal variation in water availability, with most regions experiencing concentrated rainfall during October-April periods followed by drier conditions requiring careful water resource management.

Step 2 (Commit and Plan) requires setting targets appropriate to Indonesian conditions while contributing meaningfully to broader water security objectives. Power Usage Effectiveness and Water Usage Effectiveness targets must consider elevated baselines in tropical climates while driving continuous improvement toward international best practices. Planning should incorporate climate change adaptation recognizing that extreme weather events are projected to increase in frequency and intensity, affecting both water availability and infrastructure resilience. Commitments to community water access and sanitation improvements align with AWS Standard requirements for safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all, particularly relevant in Indonesian contexts where access gaps remain significant in many regions.

Technology Solutions for Tropical Climate Water Stewardship

Technology choices prove critical for achieving water stewardship objectives in tropical data center operations, with significant variations in water consumption and efficiency across different cooling approaches. Conventional air cooling systems with evaporative cooling, while widespread, consume substantial water through evaporation and often prove less efficient in humid tropical conditions where evaporative cooling effectiveness decreases. Advanced cooling technologies offer substantial improvements in both energy efficiency and water consumption, supporting AWS Standard objectives for sustainable water balance and operational efficiency.

Water treatment technologies also require consideration within AWS Standard implementation frameworks. Nature-based treatment approaches using biological processes can align with AWS principles emphasizing ecosystem-based solutions while reducing chemical treatment needs and associated environmental impacts. Integration of rainwater harvesting systems can utilize Indonesia's substantial annual rainfall to supplement cooling water supplies, reducing pressure on groundwater and surface water sources while demonstrating leadership in sustainable water resource management.

Technology selection must balance water efficiency objectives with other sustainability considerations including energy consumption, refrigerant environmental impacts, infrastructure lifecycle considerations, and total cost of ownership. The AWS Standard framework's comprehensive approach ensures that water stewardship integrates with broader environmental management rather than creating unintended tradeoffs between different sustainability objectives.

Stakeholder Engagement and Catchment Collaboration

Effective water stewardship implementation requires robust stakeholder engagement processes that build trust, identify shared priorities, and enable collaborative action addressing common water challenges. The AWS Standard emphasizes that water issues within catchments are not the responsibility of individual entities but must be addressed collectively through coordinated efforts among all water users and governance authorities. For data centers in Indonesia, stakeholder engagement must span multiple levels and types of organizations reflecting the complex institutional landscape governing water resources.

Engagement with regional water utilities (PDAMs) provides opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration where data centers can support utility infrastructure improvements while utilities provide reliable water supplies meeting data center operational requirements. The 319 PDAMs operating across Indonesia serve diverse communities with varying capacities and challenges, creating opportunities for data center operators to contribute technical expertise, financial resources, or infrastructure investments that improve regional water management benefiting both facility operations and local communities.

Collaboration with environmental organizations and community groups enables data center operators to understand and address concerns regarding facility water use impacts on local ecosystems and community water security. Transparent communication about water consumption, efficiency improvements, and contributions to watershed restoration or community water access can build social license to operate while demonstrating commitment to AWS Standard principles emphasizing equitable and sustainable water use. Participation in watershed management planning processes, river basin organizations, or other catchment governance mechanisms demonstrates leadership in addressing water challenges collectively rather than in isolation.

Measurement, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

The AWS Standard framework emphasizes outcome-based evaluation measuring progress toward five core outcomes rather than simply tracking activities or inputs. This outcome focus ensures that water stewardship efforts deliver meaningful results improving water security, quality, and access rather than creating compliance exercises disconnected from real-world impacts. For Indonesian data centers, outcome measurement must assess both facility-level performance and contributions to broader catchment resilience and community water security.

Transparent reporting through AWS Standard certification processes provides independent third-party verification of performance while demonstrating accountability to stakeholders. Public disclosure of water management practices, challenges, and performance trends builds trust with communities and government authorities while contributing to industry knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. The AWS Standard communication requirements ensure that water stewardship extends beyond internal management to include external engagement and advocacy for improved water governance benefiting all water users within shared catchments.

Climate Change Adaptation and Long-Term Resilience

Climate change impacts create additional complexities for data center water stewardship in Indonesia, requiring adaptive approaches that account for increasing uncertainty in water availability, quality, and extreme weather patterns. Academic research including the Kurniawan et al. (2024) study on climate change implications for water quality and sanitation in Indonesia highlights that climate impacts are already affecting water resources across the country, with projections indicating intensification of challenges in coming decades.

Water stewardship strategies must incorporate climate adaptation measures ensuring operational resilience under varying conditions while contributing to broader catchment adaptation and resilience. Diversification of water sources, investment in water efficiency technologies reducing baseline consumption, and participation in watershed restoration efforts that enhance natural water storage and regulation all contribute to climate-resilient operations. The AWS Standard framework's emphasis on catchment-based approaches proves particularly valuable for climate adaptation, as collective action across multiple stakeholders creates more robust and resilient water systems than isolated facility-level measures.

Long-term planning must consider potential shifts in regional water availability patterns, changes in water quality affecting treatment requirements, and infrastructure resilience needs for extreme weather events including floods and droughts. Integration of climate scenarios into water risk assessments and strategic planning processes enables proactive adaptation rather than reactive responses to climate impacts, supporting both operational continuity and contribution to regional climate resilience.

Strategic Recommendations and Conclusions

Water stewardship implementation in Indonesian data centers represents both a strategic imperative and an opportunity for leadership in sustainable digital infrastructure development. The Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard provides proven frameworks adaptable to Indonesian contexts, enabling systematic approaches to responsible water management that balance operational efficiency with community water security and environmental sustainability. Learning from successful implementations including Apple's pioneering work in data center AWS certification demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of comprehensive water stewardship programs in technology sector operations.

Indonesian data center operators should prioritize AWS Standard implementation as foundational practice supporting long-term operational sustainability and social license to operate. The five-step framework (Gather and Understand, Commit and Plan, Implement, Evaluate, Communicate and Disclose) provides systematic approaches applicable across diverse contexts while allowing flexibility for site-specific solutions. Early engagement with stakeholders including water utilities, government authorities, environmental organizations, and local communities builds relationships enabling collaborative approaches to shared water challenges.

The AWS Standard principles that water challenges cannot be solved by individual entities alone but require collective action prove particularly relevant in Indonesian contexts where water resources face multiple pressures and complex governance structures. Data centers can serve as catalysts for improved catchment management by demonstrating leadership in water efficiency, investing in watershed restoration, supporting community water access, and advocating for policies enabling sustainable water resource management benefiting all users.

As Indonesia pursues Vision 2045 objectives to become the world's fifth-largest economy, water security emerges as a fundamental enabler requiring integrated approaches across all economic sectors. The data center industry's adoption of robust water stewardship practices aligned with international standards including the AWS framework demonstrates that digital infrastructure development can proceed sustainably while contributing positively to broader water security objectives. This alignment of operational excellence with environmental responsibility and social contribution creates value for businesses, communities, and ecosystems, embodying the AWS Standard definition of water stewardship as use that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial for all stakeholders.