Malaysia has just unveiled the National Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP), a strategic blueprint that will guide cloud adoption in the country, says Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo at the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025 (AAIMS25) recently. The policy sets out five core pillars namely, the mandating of cloud adoption in the public sector, encouragement of cloud adoption in the private sector, strengthening data protection and privacy of citizens, ensuring digital inclusivity, and reducing the environmental impact of cloud infrastructure.
Besides supporting the objectives of MyDIGITAL and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint of the country, the NCCP will also unlock real economic potential setting the country on the path towards becoming a leading regional cloud and digital hub by 2030, says Gobind.
The minister cited the example of a recent study by the Asian Development Bank Institute and AWS that projected that even a 1% increase in cloud adoption could contribute up to RM10.5 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) to Malaysia’s GDP. “By accelerating our cloud strategy from 2024 to 2028, we have the potential to unlock a staggering RM110 billion (US$ 26 billion) in additional economic value,” he said.
“These projections are now being backed by tangible action. Our commitment has attracted world-class partners and unprecedented investments. We are witnessing billions of ringgit being channeled into our digital infrastructure, with global tech players establishing new cloud regions and data centers in Malaysia,” the minister added.
At the same event later, Gobind said Malaysia will be establishing the Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy (2026–2030) and an independent Data Commission to govern the digital transformation of the country. The Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy (2026–2030) will set a long-term roadmap for dealing with emerging threats, advancing data integrity, and strengthening public confidence in Malaysia’s digital future while the Data Commission will function as an independent oversight body for data governance and ethical AI.
Earlier, Gobind reportedly revealed to the Malaysian Parliament that the National AI Office (NAIO) had secured RM3.29 billion (US$ 780 million) worth of investments from January to June this year. Further, the NAIO is currently drafting the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030 and finalising the AI Data Readiness Guidebook to support the plan for a sustainable AI ecosystem in Malaysia.
On a separate occasion, Gobind reportedly said Generative AI alone is projected to unlock up to US$ 113.4 billion in productive capacity for the country. For 2025, the country hopes to achieve RM3.6 billion (US$ 850 million) revenue target for the data centre industry.
Meanwhile, Johor, the data center hub of Malaysia, had approved 42 projects worth RM 164.45 billion (US$ 39 billion) as of the second quarter (2Q) this year, its Chief Minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said in a Facebook post recently. He added that these projects are expected to create over 6,000 job opportunities and contribute 78.6% of the country’s operational IT capacity.
