To begin with, energy-guzzling data centres make little sense when we are a net crude oil importer and when coal-fired power plants remain our main source of electricity.
At the same time, the water needed for cooling these data centres directly competes with domestic and agricultural use, undermining our quest for food security.
Never mind our artificial intelligence (AI) aspirations, where we have once again shot ourselves in the foot by allowing the historic 10‑year strategic partnership with UK-based Arm Holdings PLC, which was meant to bolster local AI chip design and front-end semiconductor capabilities, to be undermined by allegations of impropriety.
Unless the government sheds its lackadaisical attitude towards...