KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Google will invest $2 billion in Malaysia to develop its first data center and Google Cloud region in the country, the unit of Alphabet Inc (Nasdaq) said on Thursday, the latest in an expansion wave for global technology companies. To Southeast Asia.
The government said the investment would boost Malaysia's digital ambitions, and the capabilities of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies would help the local industry move up the global value chain. Lots of recent interest and investment from tech giants including Microsoft (NASDAQ:), Amazon (NASDAQ:), Nvidia (NASDAQ:) and Apple (NASDAQ:).
Google said in a statement that the data center and cloud park will be located at Sime Darby Property's Elmina Business Park in the central state of Selangor.
She added that the data center will operate services including search, maps, and workspace, and will help provide artificial intelligence services, while the cloud center will provide services to local companies and public sector institutions.
“Malaysia and Google are collaborating to advance our joint work to create a supportive ecosystem for innovation and unlock the potential of digital transformation,” Google CFO Ruth Porat said in the statement.
Last November, the government and Google announced a collaboration aimed at accelerating innovation locally.
Other tech giants have also announced significant investments in the region. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced cloud services investments worth $2.2 billion in Malaysia and $1.7 billion in Indonesia during a recent visit to the region.
In December, the utility unit of Malaysian group YTL announced that it would partner with Nvidia to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure in a $4.3 billion investment deal.
Amazon announced plans to invest $9 billion in Singapore, $5 billion in Thailand, and $6 billion in Malaysia.