West Java Halts BDx Jatiluhur AI Campus Over Incomplete Permits
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi ordered a temporary halt on September 28, 2026 to construction of Singapore-based BDx Data Centers’ planned 640-megawatt artificial-intelligence campus in Jatiluhur, Purwakarta, after an on-site inspection found incomplete environmental impact assessment and building permits, Reuters and Kompas reported. BDx had broken ground on September 22 on the CGK4 campus, which is designed for six buildings, Nvidia DGX-Ready certification, direct-to-chip liquid cooling and a first 120 MW phase targeted for early 2027, after securing large PLN grid allocations.
Filed under Policy and dated October 1, 2026, this AI4Indonesia briefing treats the stop-order as Indonesian AI infrastructure permitting news distinct from yesterday’s NexAI–BNI financing package. Provincial communications officials said work stays paused until AMDAL and building approvals are complete; the governor highlighted water demand estimated at about 6,000 cubic metres per day in early phases and far higher at full build, insisting cooling loads must not crowd out agriculture around the Jatiluhur reservoir.
Why it matters: Indonesia is racing to host AI campuses, but unfinished permits can strand capital and community trust. Transparent AMDAL timelines can restore credibility—but only if water, grid and land evidence travel with every groundbreaking photo.
What it means in practice
Indonesian infra, ESG and counsel leads should inventory which AI campus pipelines lack complete AMDAL and PBG files; demand named owners for Jatiluhur-style water-balance attestations; assign an owner for PLN capacity versus peak AI rack draw; run time-boxed community consultation reviews before restart claims; and prefer contracts that keep humans on environmental go/no-go gates. Place the halt beside NVIDIA’s Batam AI campus plans and Telkom NeutraDC’s 1 GW map.
Caveats come first. A temporary provincial halt is not a national ban; BDx may clear permits quickly; and megawatt headlines can outrun contracted customers. AI4Indonesia therefore presents the order as directional oversight context until published restart conditions appear.
What to watch next: AMDAL completion notices; BDx statements on hydro partnerships with Perum Jasa Tirta II; and whether other West Java AI campuses face similar checks. Readers can continue on the AI4Indonesia homepage, or browse the Newsroom for additional briefings.
Bottom line: treat this update as orientation, not instruction. Indonesian AI data-centre growth is colliding with permitting and water politics and remains early. Organizations that benefit most will demand complete permits, keep humans on environmental gates, and refuse to confuse a groundbreaking with finished lawful capacity.