Malaysia plans GPU import disclosures and charges for unused power capacity

Malaysia plans legislation requiring data center operators to disclose GPU imports, power consumption, facility locations and customer identities to help detect restricted chips being diverted abroad, Tom's Hardware reported. The government intends to monitor facilities throughout their operating lives. Operators would also pay for all electricity capacity they reserve, including unused capacity, to discourage reservations made one to three years before it is needed. Power consumption alone cannot reliably establish how many GPUs are operating: workloads, other equipment and delays between imports and deployment complicate comparisons. Minister Johari Abdul Ghani did not specify whether the legislation would require GPU serial numbers or on-site inspections.