AirTrunk, an Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) hyperscale data center specialist, today announced its entry into Malaysia with plans to develop a 150+MW data center named AirTrunk JHB1 (JHB1) which will be the company’s first in Malaysia and ninth in APJ, taking its data center platform to over 1.35GW of capacity.
A key location at the southernmost point of the Malay Peninsula, Johor Bahru will be home to the 10.3 hectare JHB1 campus. As well as providing strong domestic and international connections to regional technological hotspots like Singapore, the facility will serve a significant cloud availability zone for AirTrunk’s customers.
Driven by rapidly increasing cloud adoption in Southeast Asia, JHB1 will be anchored by one of the world’s largest technology companies.
According to Robin Khuda,AirTrunk Founder & Chief Executive Officer, it is an exciting time for their business as they announce a new data center in a new country with a large anchor tenant. In order to support the region’s rapid digitalization, AirTrunk is continuing to build essential digital infrastructure.
Moreover, JHB1 will get funding through AirTrunk’s sustainability-linked loan framework and will incorporate a variety of sustainable technologies to guarantee that AirTrunk continues to provide the most environmentally friendly data centers in the region.
One of the most significant sustainable innovations is a cooling system that combines direct-to-chip liquid cooling technology with indirect evaporative cooling (IEC). High density racks can be deployed by AirTrunk clients thanks to the liquid cooling technology, which can cut energy use by up to 20%
The data center will also have a solar-ready roof that can accommodate 5MW of solar panels. The facility is constructed to AirTrunk’s 1.15 industry-low power usage effectiveness standard, and clients will have access to renewable energy supply alternatives.
AirTrunk Chief Technology Officer, Damien Spillane said that JHB1 will be Malaysia’s most sustainable data center thanks to its adaptable architecture and technology that boost water and energy efficiency in tropical climates. And in order to reach Net Zero by 2030, they are collaborating with their clients to find renewable energy sources to offset data center electricity usage.
Construction of JHB1’s initial phases, which will have a 50MW capacity, will start soon and be completed in 2024. The data center is prepared to expand further depending on clients demand up to a total capacity of more than 150MW.
