The tech giant said its investment in the Southeast Asian country will “pave the way to realise the transformative power of AI”.
Google has announced that it will invest $2 billion to establish its first data center and “cloud region” in the Southeast Asian nation of Malaysia.
“This investment is more than just infrastructure; it’s about unlocking new possibilities for businesses, educators and all Malaysians,” Google Malaysia country director Farhan S. Qureshi said in a blog post on Thursday.
Qureshi said the Google data centers will power services such as Google Search and Google Maps, “paving the way to deliver the transformative power of AI to users and customers across the country.”
The Google Cloud regions will “provide enterprises, startups and public sector organisations with high-performance, low-latency cloud services along with key controls that enable them to maintain the highest security and compliance standards, including their specific data storage requirements,” Qureshi said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the investment would add $3.2 billion to the country’s economy and create 26,500 jobs by 2030.
“Google’s investments in Malaysia related to the development of its first data centre and Google Cloud region are testament to the country’s economic strength and resources, as well as the government’s clear plans to attract existing and new investors,” Anwar said in a post on X.
“This will undoubtedly position Malaysia as one of the leading countries in the adoption and support of digital technology-based services.”
Google’s announcement comes weeks after rival Microsoft said it would invest $2.2 billion in artificial intelligence and cloud computing in Malaysia.
U.S. tech giants are stepping up investments in Southeast Asia, home to a young, computer-literate population of 670 million and one of the fastest-growing regional economies.
Global consulting firm Kearney estimates that AI could contribute about $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product by 2030.
Amazon said it would invest $9 billion to expand its cloud infrastructure in Singapore, following multi-billion-dollar investments announced in Malaysia and Thailand earlier this month.
