Connect | APAC // Major Panel: Aligning policy and industry for APAC’s next growth wave

Across Asia Pacific, governments are increasingly influencing where and under what conditions data centers can be built. AI governance frameworks, data localisation laws, energy policies and planning controls are no longer background considerations but core factors that determine whether projects move forward at all. For operators and investors, regulatory clarity is becoming as important as power availability or capital access, raising a critical question about how effectively the industry is engaging with policymakers to secure workable development pathways.

In a region often described as highly fragmented, this session will also consider whether APAC can move towards a more coordinated regulatory environment or whether growth will continue to be shaped by country-by-country rulebooks.

This session will explore: 

• How policy is reshaping data center site selection across APAC
• Why regulatory clarity is now as critical as power and capital in investment decisions
• How industry can work with government to unlock approvals
• Whether APAC is aligning or fragmenting at policy level
• What markets with faster approvals are doing differently