Google · Khaosod English
Google invests $15 billion into Malaysia as Southeast Asia’s data centre infrastructure ramps up
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KUALA LUMPUR — 4 November 2026, Google announced plans to invest US$15 billion in Malaysia over the next two years, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo both attending and speaking at the launch of the expansion.
Key facts
- KUALA LUMPUR — 4 November 2026, Google announced plans to invest US$15 billion in Malaysia over the next two years, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo both attending and speaking at the launch of the
- The investment, planned for 2027 and 2028, will include new data-centre campuses, clean-energy projects, water infrastructure and training programmes
- Google estimates construction of the new campuses will contribute an average of $1.1 billion a year to Malaysia’s GDP during 2027 and 2028 and support more than 37,000 jobs annually.
- Google similarly projects that its facilities will sustain more than 9,000 local jobs annually once operational, with average wages 45% above the national median
- Google employees interviewed by Khaosod English said water cooling is generally preferred because it can reduce energy consumption by around 10% compared with air cooling.
- Malaysia’s deputy prime minister told parliament in July that data centres are forecast to consume around one-third of the country’s total electricity by 2035.
Summary
The investment, planned for 2027 and 2028, will include new data-centre campuses, clean-energy projects, water infrastructure and training programmes. Google says it will also help add more than one gigawatt of clean-energy capacity to Malaysia’s electricity grid and train around 800,000 Malaysians by 2031.
The scale makes the announcement significant well beyond Malaysia. Countries across Southeast Asia are competing to host the physical infrastructure required to run cloud services and increasingly power-hungry AI systems. Malaysia has emerged as one of the biggest winners so far.