Google Breaks Ground on New USD $2B Malaysia Data Centre and Cloud Region

Google has held a ceremonial ground breaking for its first data centre and cloud region in Malaysia at its inaugural “Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI,” a Google for Malaysia event.

With construction underway in Elmina Business Park, Selangor, the USD $2 billion investment in its data centre and cloud infrastructure will help meet growing demand for Google Cloud capabilities and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations, and other digital products and services that people and organisations in Malaysia use every day. These investments are estimated to support more than USD $3.2 billion in positive economic impact and create 26,500 jobs by 2030. This investment was first announced in May this year.

Google Takes Point in Digital Skilling for Malaysians

The Alphabet-owned company also announced a series of local digital skilling and sustainability partnerships that build on the strategic collaboration it established with the Government of Malaysia at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in November 2023.

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, was the distinguished guest of honor at the event, where he was hosted by Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and Google, and delivered officiating remarks. He was joined on stage by YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, who highlighted the significance of this massive investment.

“We laud Google’s swiftness in establishing its data center and cloud region in Malaysia. These state-of-the-art facilities will not only empower our manufacturing and service-based industries—particularly the small and medium businesses (SMBs)—to leverage advanced technologies like AI and cloud computing, but also enhance our industries’ capacity to move up the global value chain,” Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz said.

He added: “In line with Malaysia’s net-zero goals, we also welcome Google’s leadership in energy-efficient operations, which will undoubtedly set new national benchmarks in power and water usage effectiveness. But above all, this journey is about our people. It is crucial for Malaysians to be equipped with the skills required for the jobs of the future, particularly as more hi-tech and AI-focused investments flow into the country, and as we grow Malaysia’s capacity to serve the region’s digital economy. Google’s continued commitment to upskilling our workforce through programs like Gemilang and Future Skills for All will also ensure a more inclusive digital future for Malaysia’s workforce.”

Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and Google, said: “Today, Google reaffirms its support for advancing Malaysia’s digital future with the ground breaking of our data centre and cloud region in Selangor. Google’s investments in infrastructure, digital skilling, and sustainability represent progress on our joint efforts with the Government of Malaysia to create high-value jobs and bring the benefits of AI to local communities and companies. Together, we will empower individuals and businesses in Malaysia to innovate, grow, and fully harness the potential of the digital age. As we do this, Google will continue its responsible stewardship of natural resources by improving community watershed health and ecosystems in Malaysia and helping to drive local adoption of renewable energy sources.”

Malaysia Gains More Access to Best-in-Class Digital Services

The tech leader’s cloud and data centre infrastructure in Malaysia will help meet growing demand for Google Cloud capabilities and AI innovations, and the company’s popular digital services—such as Search, Maps, and Google Workspace—that organisations and people in Malaysia, as well as billions of people around the world, use every day.

Today’s ground breaking follows the 2022 announcement of plans to launch a local cloud region to make it easier and faster for public sector organisations, SMBs, startups, and large enterprises to benefit from Google Cloud’s on-demand compute and AI and Machine Learning (ML) resources. The cloud region will deliver high-performance and low-latency services and offer customers key controls that allow them to maintain the highest security, data residency, and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.