JOHOR BARU: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, has called on the authorities and private sectors to assess the impact of data centres in the country.
She said they must consider the very high demand for electricity and water, the misuse of land and the effects of data centres on local communities.
“This includes noise levels and the brightness of lights used throughout the day and into the night.
“As an educated society, we must play our part in addressing the damage to the natural world. It begins with a change in attitude and a sense of responsibility to preserve our world for generations to come,” she decreed when officiating Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) 70th convocation ceremony here on Saturday (Nov 14).
She said that the world today is driven by artificial intelligence (AI), which also brings forth major challenges.
“AI technologies should be used to improve the people’s quality of life and not solely for economic profit.
“As a research university that has established the first AI faculty in Malaysia, UTM has the responsibility to ensure that technological advances continue to be rooted in ethics, integrity and human values,” added Raja Zarith Sofiah.
During the ceremony, Her Majesty also presented a scroll to Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar who became the first UTM graduate to receive a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
Shamsul Azri graduated through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Qualifications (APEL.Q) pathway.
His doctoral research about the Public Service Reform Agenda, which produced guidelines and implementation tools to enable government agencies to plan, monitor and streamline reforms, was done at the university’s Azman Hashim International Business School.
