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Global copper demand is shifting toward electricity-hungry technology. BloombergNEF (BNEF) expects copper demand from data centers to average about 400,000 tonnes a year over the next decade, peaking at 572,000 tonnes in 2028. Add electric vehicles, batteries and power grids, and copper becomes the core metal of the AI and electrification era.
Indonesia sits at an unusual intersection: national cathode refining capacity already exceeds 1.1 million tonnes a year, while domestic demand from new technology is growing fast.
Data centers: from 580 MW toward 3.5 GW
According to BRI Danareksa Sekuritas, Indonesia's data center capacity was about 580 MW in the first half of 2026 and could reach 3.5 GW by 2030. Jakarta has a pipeline of about 1.7 GW and Batam about 1.4 GW, much of it hyperscale.
Data centers use copper intensively in power cable, busbars, switchgear and cooling. As a benchmark, Microsoft's Chicago data center used about 2,177 tonnes of copper, roughly 27 tonnes per MW. On that basis, around 2.9 GW of added capacity by 2030 equals roughly 79,000 tonnes of copper inside the data center buildings alone, before counting the grid that feeds them.
Electric vehicles: a quarter of new car sales
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in Indonesia reached 103,931 units in 2025, or 12.9% of the market. In the first half of 2026, BEV sales hit 69,739 units (15.9% of the market, up 80.8%), and all electrified vehicles together took 26.8% of national car sales. Indonesia now has 14 EV assemblers with a combined capacity of 409,860 units a year.
According to the International Copper Association (ICA), a conventional car contains about 23 kg of copper, a hybrid 40 kg, a plug-in hybrid 60 kg and a BEV 83 kg. Each charger adds 0.7 kg, and a fast charger up to 8 kg.
Batteries and energy storage
The ICA estimates that each kWh of lithium-ion battery uses about 1.1–1.2 kg of copper. The battery cell plants in Karawang, HLI Green Power (10 GWh) and CATL-IBC (6.9 GWh), together with the 320 GWh of storage targeted under the 100 GWp Solar Power Program, make batteries one of the largest new sources of copper demand.
Estimated copper demand by driver
The copper figures below are illustrative estimates calculated from published intensity data, not official figures.
|
Driver |
Indonesia data |
Copper intensity |
Estimated copper |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Data centers |
+2.9 GW by 2030 |
~27 t per MW |
~79,000 t (cumulative) |
|
Battery EVs |
103,931 units in 2025 |
83 kg per vehicle |
~8,600 t per year |
|
Battery cells |
16.9 GWh of capacity in Karawang |
1.1–1.2 kg per kWh |
~19,000–20,000 t per year |
|
Energy storage |
320 GWh in the 100 GWp program |
1.1–1.2 kg per kWh |
~350,000–385,000 t (over the program) |
The copper products these markets need
- Copper foil for EV and storage battery cells
- Busbars and connectors for data centers, switchboards and battery packs
- Power and medium-voltage cable for data centers, charging stations and the grid
- Enamelled wire for electric motors and transformers
- Copper tube for heat exchangers and cooling systems
Why JIIPE
- Cathode source inside the estate: Freeport's Manyar smelter in JIIPE and PT Smelting in Gresik
- A working downstream chain: Hailiang produces battery copper foil in JIIPE
- A deep-sea port for shipping to data centers in Jakarta and Batam and to battery and EV plants
- Gresik SEZ incentives, including a 10- to 20-year tax holiday depending on investment size
The AI and electrification era is built with copper. Talk to the JIIPE team about land, utilities and SEZ incentives for your copper foil, busbar, cable or wire plant.