Google Announces $2 Billion Investment in Malaysia for Data Center Construction

Islamabad: In Malaysia, Google has announced a significant investment of $2 billion, marking its maiden foray into establishing a data center and a Google Cloud hub within the country. This move reflects a growing trend of U.S. tech giants expanding their presence in Southeast Asia.

This development comes shortly after Microsoft's declaration of allocating $2.2 billion over the next four years towards constructing Malaysia's new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has lauded Google's investment as a vote of confidence in Malaysia's governance and economy. He anticipates that this investment will contribute approximately $3.2 billion to the economy and generate 26,500 job opportunities by 2030.

These investments are seen as a strategic achievement for Anwar, as he aims to consolidate his political position amidst a formidable Islamic opposition.

Google has disclosed that the new facilities will be established at a business park in Selangor state, central Malaysia, catering to the increasing demand for cloud services and promoting artificial intelligence literacy among Malaysian students and educators.

With Malaysia becoming the 12th country to host a Google data center, the Malaysian Google Cloud hub will serve large enterprises, startups, and the public sector. This expansion will supplement the existing 40 regions and 121 zones worldwide, according to Google.

Ruth Porat, President and CFO of Alphabet Inc., stated, "This investment reinforces our collaboration with the Malaysian government to advance its 'Cloud First Policy,' which includes implementing top-notch cybersecurity standards."