Innovation in Action: Schneider Electric Champions Johor’s Smart and Sustainable Transformation
Continuing a Committment to Clean Energy and Sustainability for in the Digital World
Schneider Electric, the global leader in digital transformation of industrial energy management and automation, successfully concluded its annual Schneider Electric Innovation Day 2025 in Johor, reinforcing Johor’s pivotal role in Malaysia’s journey toward smart and sustainable urban development.
This year, Johor was chosen as the host for Innovation Day due to its rapid emergence as a smart and sustainability powerhouse. Strategically located at the heart of Southeast Asia and adjacent to Singapore, Johor is fast becoming a magnet for high-value digital infrastructure, green energy investments, and future-ready urban planning.
Eugene Quah, Country President for Malaysia, at Schneider Electric, said: “There is an urgent need for sustainable solutions that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social resilience. We can see that Johor is at the forefront of this transformation. The state is fast becoming the catalyst for high-value digital infrastructure, future-ready cities, and climate-conscious development. What’s more, Johor is transforming into a smart, sustainable, and future-ready state.”
As examples, Quah highlighted that Johor’s smart and sustainable transformation is fueled by rapid growth in digital infrastructure, clean energy, and strategic urban planning. With over 1,500 MW of data centre capacity and major tech investments, the state is emerging as a regional digital hub. Renewable energy projects, such as the Sultan Ibrahim Solar PV Park and Maharani Energy Gateway, will deliver over 1.5 GW of clean power. In addition to these efforts is the Johor Smart City Blueprint, which outlines a vision for climate-resilient urban development.
Defining the Smart City of Tomorrow
This momentum reflects Johor’s growing ambition to become a model for smart and sustainable urban development. With strategic investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and digital connectivity, the state is laying the foundation for future-ready smart cities that prioritise both technological advancement and environmental stewardship. It is within this context that Schneider Electric’s vision of a smart city becomes especially relevant. Schneider Electric outlined the key drivers that define a smart city as follows:
- Smart Infrastructure ensures resilient, adaptive systems that can respond to real-time needs.
- Smart Buildings that optimise energy use, comfort, and operational efficiency.
- Smart Water solutions to safeguard resources through intelligent monitoring and management.
- Smart Energy and Chemicals that drive decarbonization and efficiency across industrial and urban ecosystems.
“These elements work together to form the backbone of a smart city. All in all, smart cities are about empowering communities, reducing carbon footprints, and creating inclusive, livable environments for all,” Quah said.
Schneider Electric Innovation Day Sparks Unified Action for Johor’s Future
Schneider Electric’s Innovation Day 2025 event brought together expert speakers from various sectors, including key industry leaders from organisations such as the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Johor Corporation (JCORP), TM Global, PETRONAS, and leading specialists from Schneider Electric. Together, they shared insights on how to accelerate Johor’s transformation into a smart, sustainable, and digitally empowered state. The discussion explored two critical areas shaping Johor’s future:
Smart Infrastructure and Smart Buildings
Experts explored how connected systems and data-driven planning are transforming buildings and infrastructure into resilient, citizen-centric environments.
The panel was moderated by Grace Han, Head of Strategy and Commercial Operations, Schneider Electric Malaysia, and consisted of Datuk Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, Director of Infrastructure Technology of JCORP & Managing Director of Johor Infrastructure Group; Rudyanto Azhar, Director of Economics and Investment Division, IRDA; and Wei Linyun, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, East Asia, Schneider Electric.
Scaling Data Centres Sustainably
With the exponential rise in AI and cloud computing, data centers are becoming the digital backbone of smart cities. Discussions focused on how to scale these facilities responsibly, striking a balance between performance, energy efficiency, and environmental impact.
The panel consisted of Ir. Ts. Indiran Nadarajan, Vice Chairman of the Institution of Engineering and Technology Malaysia Local Network; Isaac Goh, General Manager of Data Centre Architecture at TM Global; and Izleena Md. Iqbar, Specialist in Energy Transition Solutions at PETRONAS. The session was moderated by Prem Sankaran, Cloud and Service Provider Segment Leader, East Asia, at Schneider Electric.
Collaboration for a Sustainable Future
The event concluded with a call to action: innovation alone is not enough. To build truly sustainable cities, collaboration across sectors is essential. Aligning technology, policy, and purpose will be key to accelerating Johor’s transformation and setting a benchmark for the region.
“As we look to the future, it’s clear that progress will be driven not just by innovation, but by intentional partnerships. The regions that lead will be those that align technology, policy, and purpose. Johor is one such region: bold in its ambition, and strategic in its execution. And Schneider Electric is proud to be part of this transformation. We believe that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. To build future-ready cities, we need to connect vision with action, ambition with expertise, and policy with purpose,” Quah said.
Echoing the sentiment, Datuk Mahadhir also mentioned that this achievement cannot be met alone as all stakeholders need to leverage collaboration and partnerships to meet the demands of the future.
