Google Pledges Additional $15 Billion Investment in Malaysia's Data Centre Infrastructure

Google has pledged an additional $15 billion (61 billion ringgit) investment over the next two years to expand its data centre infrastructure in Malaysia. The investment is expected to generate more than 37,000 jobs annually during the construction phase.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at the ‘Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI’ event held at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.

Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, said the investment would include an expansion of Google's existing data centre campus at Elmina Business Park in Selangor. The company also plans to establish new data centre campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Porat said Google was pleased to expand its digital infrastructure in Malaysia responsibly, with investments in resource management, clean energy initiatives and new skills development programmes. These initiatives, she said, would create fresh economic opportunities for Malaysians.

She added that the construction activities in 2027 and 2028 would generate more than 37,000 local jobs annually. The combined annual earnings of workers involved in these projects are expected to reach an average of $378 million.

Once the data centres become operational, they are expected to create more than 9,000 long-term local jobs. According to Porat, the average salaries for these positions will be 45 per cent higher than Malaysia's median wage.

Porat said the investment reflected Google's confidence in Malaysia's leadership, skilled workforce and commitment to digital transformation. It would also strengthen Google's presence in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.

She further noted that Google was working with more than 80 Malaysian companies involved in the development and operation of its data centres. These businesses operate across sectors including civil engineering, electrical systems, network infrastructure and logistics.

Earlier, in May 2024, Google announced a $2 billion investment in Malaysia. The investment included plans to establish the company's first data centre and Google Cloud region at Elmina Business Park in Selangor.