As demand for AI and cloud services grows, Google announced on Thursday that it will invest $2 billion in Malaysia, with the majority of the funding going towards constructing the country’s first data centre and cloud region.
Ruth Porat, president, CFO, and CIO at Alphabet and Google disclosed the funding plan in a statement.
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced a $2.2 billion investment to create new cloud and AI infrastructure in Malaysia as the country opens up itself to investment opportunities.
Newsng understands that the cloud region will offer services to businesses and organisations in the public and private sectors, while the data centre will power Google’s digital services including Workspace, Maps, and Search.
Servers and other hardware required to store data and run programmes or services are housed in data centres.
The tech giant also launched two AI literacy initiatives for educators and students throughout the nation.
“This investment builds on our partnership with the Government of Malaysia to advance its ‘Cloud First Policy,’ including best-in-class cybersecurity standards,” Porat said.
Google’s investment was welcomed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as evidence of the company’s faith in Malaysia’s economy and government.
Anwar stated on Thursday that by 2030, the investment is anticipated to boost the economy by $3.2 billion and generate 26,500 jobs.
“The investment related to Google’s first data centre in Malaysia and the development of the Google Cloud region is proof that the Government’s clear planning in addition to the country’s economic strength and resources are attractive to existing and new investors,” Anwar said in a post on X.
We earlier reported that over $100 billion (RM467 billion) will be invested in integrated circuit design and production machinery for Malaysia’s semiconductor industry according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
