Google invested 2 billion USD to build a data center in Malaysia

According to the Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet Inc. The commitment marks Google's largest planned investment in the Southeast Asian country, Ruth Porat said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Malaysia's Ministry of Commerce, the Google Cloud regional data center and facility will support 26,500 jobs across various sectors in the country, with a total economic impact worth $3.2 billion. The investment location will be at Sime Darby Property's Elmina Business Park in Selangor state.

US tech giants have ramped up investment in Southeast Asia in recent months, pledging billions of dollars as they seek new growth opportunities. CEOs of Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp. have traveled throughout the region to draft strategic plans and meet with heads of state.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said this month the company would invest $2.2 billion in Malaysia, in addition to similar commitments to Indonesia and Thailand. Microsoft and Google are competing fiercely for leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offerings, finding customers to adopt their offerings in this growing sector.

Google said that in addition to developing cloud computing services, it will support AI literacy programs for students and educators.

Kareem Winters

Update 30 May 2024