The government announced on Thursday that Google would invest $2.0 billion in Malaysia to host the company’s first data center and “cloud region” there.
“The Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry has secured a commitment by Google to invest 9.4 billion ringgit to house its first Google data centre and Google Cloud region in Malaysia,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said the cash would support 26,500 jobs across various sectors in Malaysia, including healthcare, education, and finance.It stated that 26,500 jobs in Malaysia’s banking, healthcare, and education sectors will be supported by the funding.
“Google’s first data centre and Google Cloud region is our largest planned investment so far in Malaysia — a place Google has been proud to call home for 13 years,” said Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and its parent firm Alphabet.
“This investment builds on our partnership with the Malaysian government to advance its ‘Cloud First Policy’, including best-in-class cybersecurity standards.”
Google’s investment comes after US tech behemoth Microsoft promised to invest $2.2 billion on cloud computing and artificial intelligence in Malaysia.
