Google announced plans to spend $15B on Malaysia data centres and cloud operations through 2027 and 2028, according to The Next Web. Alphabet chief investment officer Ruth Porat revealed the multi-year investment plan at an event in Kuala Lumpur, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended.
Key takeaways
- Google will spend $15B in Malaysia across 2027 and 2028.
- The company will expand its campus in Selangor and build new sites in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
- The project is expected to support more than 37,000 local jobs a year.
- Google is also funding a $160M water plant in Negeri Sembilan.
What is the plan for Malaysia data centres?
The tech giant will put money into cloud operations, power generation, water supplies, and training alongside the infrastructure work. The Next Web reports that Google will expand its existing Selangor campus at Elmina Business Park and build new facilities in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
The Elmina site originated from a $2B investment that Google previously announced in May 2024. Malaysia has grown into Southeast Asia's main data centre hub, pulling in rivals like Amazon, Oracle, Alibaba, and ByteDance due to low costs, reliable infrastructure, and proximity to Singapore.
How will local infrastructure and water supplies be handled?
Water infrastructure forms a core piece of the arrangement. Google is funding a $160M reservoir and treatment plant in Negeri Sembilan to supply 65 million litres of drinking water daily to the data centre and surrounding neighborhoods. Water has become a sensitive topic for tech companies elsewhere, as Google faced protests over local supplies at its $15B India data centre and in Indonesia on Batam island.
What happens next?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that the nation possesses the stability, talent, and ambition to serve as a premier digital powerhouse in the region. Google expects the new campuses to add about $1.1B a year to the local economy while supporting over 37,000 jobs annually during construction. Once the facilities are fully running, the company anticipates they will sustain more than 9,000 jobs. Meanwhile, additional investments may arrive soon, as Anwar noted in late October that SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son plans about $50B of AI investment in the country, though SoftBank has not confirmed that figure.
Frequently asked questions
Google plans to spend $15 billion in Malaysia during 2027 and 2028 on data centres, cloud operations, power, water supplies, and training.
Google will expand its existing campus at Elmina Business Park in Selangor and build new campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
Google states that building the campuses will support more than 37,000 local jobs a year and add about $1.1 billion annually to the economy. Once running, it expects to sustain over 9,000 jobs.
Google is funding a $160 million reservoir and treatment plant in Negeri Sembilan to supply 65 million litres of drinking water a day to the data centre and nearby communities.
Alphabet chief investment officer Ruth Porat announced the plan at an event in Kuala Lumpur that was attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Based on reporting by The Next Web. Read the original article
