Google announces $2 billion investment in Malaysia, as government hails creation of 26,500 jobs | Technology

The tech giant says investments in the Southeast Asian country will “pave the way for the transformative power of AI.”

Google has announced that it will invest $2 billion in Malaysia to establish its first data center and “cloud region” in the Southeast Asian country.

“This investment is not just about infrastructure; it’s about opening up new possibilities for businesses, educators and all Malaysians,” Google Malaysia country manager Farhan S Qureshi said in a blog post on Thursday.

Qureshi said Google’s data center would power services such as Google Search and Google Maps and “pave the way in delivering the transformative power of AI to users and customers across the country.”

The Google Cloud region will offer “high-performance, low-latency cloud services” to businesses, startups and public sector organizations, as well as “key controls that enable them to maintain the highest security and compliance standards,” it said. Qureshi said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the investment would add $3.2 billion to the country’s economy and create 26,500 jobs by 2030.

“The investment related to Google’s first data center in Malaysia and the development of the Google Cloud region is proof that the government’s clear planning, in addition to the country’s economic strength and resources, is attractive to existing investors and new,” Anwar said in an article on X.

“This undoubtedly places Malaysia as one of the leading countries in the use and support of digital technology-enabled services. »

Google’s announcement comes weeks after rival Microsoft said it would invest $2.2 billion in artificial intelligence and cloud computing in Malaysia.

U.S. tech giants have stepped up investments in Southeast Asia, home to a young population of 670 million computer-literate people and one of the fastest-growing regional economies.

International consultancy Kearney estimates that AI could contribute nearly $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product by 2030.

Amazon announced earlier this month that it would invest $9 billion in Singapore to develop cloud infrastructure in the city-state, following earlier announcements of multibillion-dollar investments in Malaysia and China. Thailand.