Alibaba Cloud is set to launch its fourth data centre in Malaysia by 2026, marking Malaysia as the cloud giant’s largest data center presence in Southeast Asia,” Malaysian Deputy Digital Minister Wilson Ugak Kumbong reportedly said last week. The firm, which is the cloud computing arm of China tech giant Alibaba Group had recently launched its third Malaysian facility.
Several other international digital brands are also expanding their business in Malaysia encouraged by the country’s disaster-free environment, ample land and natural resources, as well as its concern for the environment and community needs, the minister said. This helps build Malaysia’s position as the region’s digital hub, he added.
“Between 2021 and June 2025, the government approved 143 data-centre projects with a total investment value of RM144.4 billion,” he said.
At the event, Alibaba Cloud also announced two collaborations namely it will act as a cloud infrastructure provider for the world’s first AI-powered bank Ryt Bank Payment transfer platform as well as for Proton New Energy Technology Pvt. Ltd. (PRO-NET) , a new energy subsidiary with state-owned automobile manufacturer Proton. Alibaba and PRO-NET will establish a cooperation to jointly promote the national electric vehicle platform.
“Supporting Malaysia’s goal of becoming an AI nation by 2030 requires strong national partnerships to drive innovation and technological progress. Through Ryt Bank’s partnership with AI-driven digital banking and with PRO-NET on AI solutions, Alibaba Cloud is proud to be a strategic partner in Malaysia, empowering digital and AI capabilities in key industries to help Malaysia innovate at the national and international levels,” said Dr. Feifei Li, Senior Vice President, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group and President of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence International Business Division.
“Aliyun is our fast, secure, AI-driven strategic partner. This collaboration provides us with a cloud foundation and AI capabilities to drive innovation, enhance customer trust, and support Malaysia’s broader digitalisation goals. Together, we are shaping the future of national AI financial services.”