Finland’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Anne Vasara, has highlighted the growing connection between digitalisation, artificial intelligence and water security during a conference in Kuching, Sarawak.
Vasara participated in the Borneo International Water & Wastewater Exhibition & Conference (BIWWEC) 2026, where she delivered a speech titled “The Water Behind the Cloud: A Finnish Perspective on Digital Growth and Sustainability”.
In her address, Vasara argued that the rapid expansion of the digital economy has a physical resource footprint, with data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure requiring significant amounts of energy and water.
She highlighted the need to consider resource efficiency when designing digital infrastructure, particularly as Malaysia continues to develop its data-centre ecosystem.
According to the Finnish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Vasara presented Finnish examples of sustainable digital infrastructure, including water-efficient cooling technologies, intelligent water management systems and circular approaches to waste.
The ambassador also pointed to opportunities for Finland and Malaysia to exchange knowledge as both countries develop their digital economies.
The issue is increasingly relevant to Malaysia, which has attracted major investment into data centres in recent years as companies seek to expand their digital infrastructure in Southeast Asia. The growth has also raised questions about the energy and water resources required to support the sector.
Finland has sought to position itself as a partner in combining digitalisation with sustainability. The country is also preparing to co-chair an upcoming UN Water Conference interactive dialogue on “Water for Cooperation” together with Zambia.
For Finland, the discussion in Kuching therefore provided an opportunity to connect its expertise in digitalisation and water management with Malaysia’s rapidly developing technology sector.
The Finnish Embassy said that addressing challenges at the intersection of climate, water and digitalisation will require cooperation between governments, businesses, academia and communities.
