Google has announced that it will invest US$ 2 Billion in Malaysia to aid in the Southeast Asian nation’s digital transformation. The investment will cover the development of Google’s first data center in the country, and also the very first Google Cloud region in Malaysia.
In a press release, Google revealed that the site of the Malaysia investments will be in Sime Darby Property’s Elmina Business Park, in Greater Kuala Lumpur. The Google data center will power Google’s popular digital services, such as Search, Maps, and Workspace. When operational, Malaysia will join the 11 countries where Google has built and now operates data centers serving users around the world.
Meanwhile, the Google Cloud region will deliver high-performance and low-latency services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organizations. The cloud region will be complemented by Google Cloud’s existing Dedicated Cloud Interconnect locations in Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur, which provide direct connections between an organization’s on-premises network and Google Cloud’s global network. The Malaysia cloud region will join 40 regions and 121 zones currently in operation around the world.
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer; Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet and Google, said, “Google’s first data center and Google Cloud region is our largest planned investment so far in Malaysia – a place Google has been proud to call home for 13 years. This investment builds on our partnership with the Government of Malaysia to advance its ‘Cloud First Policy,’ including best-in-class cybersecurity standards. With today’s announcement, Malaysia and Google are partnering to advance our shared work to create a supportive ecosystem for innovation and unlock the potential of digital transformation.”
YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, said, “Google’s US$2 billion investment in Malaysia will significantly advance the digital ambitions outlined in our New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030). The Google data center and Google Cloud region in Greater Kuala Lumpur, in particular, will empower our manufacturing and service-based industries to leverage AI and other advanced technologies to move up the global value chain.”
Google has also launched two programs to foster AI literacy for both students and educators, in alignment with the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) National Digital Education Policy. These programs expand Google’s ongoing commitment toward making digital skills more accessible to Malaysians.
