IN FOCUS
In today’s newsletter, we look at:
- Data centers power up industrial regions beyond Jakarta
- The future of AI regulation under Trump 2.0
- Battle of the AI transcribers: Meeting.ai takes on Otter.ai
Welcome to The Prompt! Delivered every fortnight, this free newsletter breaks down the biggest stories and trends in AI. Get all our content, including The Prompt, by registering for a Tech in Asia account. Alternatively, sign up here if you just want to receive this newsletter.
Hi there,
On a recent road trip to my childhood home, three hours away from Manila, I noticed how the old rice fields dotting the main highway now have malls and warehouses occupying them. Increasingly, my once quiet childhood town is buzzing with economic and industrial activity.
The Philippines’ southern provinces are not the only places experiencing a transformation of sorts. In Indonesia, “industrial regions” – vacant hectares of land where businesses build facilities – are increasingly occupied, too.
This week, our Big Story looks at the data centers being built in these areas, including in Batam, an island only an hour away by ferry from Singapore. The investment for the development of data centers on the island alone as of June 2024 has reached US$3 billion.
Experts believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. After Singapore banned the establishment of data centers in the country from 2019 to the end of 2021, Indonesia primed itself to benefit from the AI boom.
Speaking of benefits, this week’s Hot Take discusses what AI regulation might look like under US President-elect Donald Trump’s next rodeo in the White House. In campaign rallies, Trump already committed to overturn the executive order that US President Joe Biden passed last year on AI regulation.
If Trump keeps his word, analysts say Big Tech could benefit, as the returning president seems to be no fan of regulating companies developing AI. And that could have reverberating effects around the globe.
— Elyssa
THE BIG STORY
Data centers power up industrial regions beyond Jakarta
Image credit: Timmy Loen
The Indonesian government offered tax incentives and allowed foreign entities to own land on the archipelago to encourage investment in data centers in the country’s industrial regions.
THE HOT TAKE
DEEP READS
FYI
We have a lot in store for you tomorrow
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
