Tech giant Oracle Corp yesterday said it plans to invest more than US$6.5 billion on cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining a list of US titans rushing to build up their artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Southeast Asia.
The firm said the cloud region would help organizations in the country modernize their applications, migrate their workload to the cloud and innovate with data, analytics and artificial intelligence.
Oracle is working to expand its cloud infrastructure business globally. The company recently projected it would surpass US$100 billion in revenue in fiscal 2029, driven by increasing demand for cloud services.
Photo: AFP
Malaysia’s new cloud region would be the firm’s third in Southeast Asia, following two facilities in neighboring Singapore.
“Malaysia offers unique growth opportunities for organizations looking to accelerate their expansion with the -latest digital technologies,” Oracle executive vice president for Japan and Asia Pacific Garrett Ilg said in a statement.
“Our multibillion dollar investment affirms our commitment to Malaysia as a regional gateway for cloud infrastructure as well as a comprehensive suite of software as a service applications deployed within Malaysia,” he said.
The statement also quoted Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz as welcoming the investment, saying it would help firms with innovative and cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies to boost their global competitiveness.
PREMIER DESTINATION
“Oracle’s decision to establish a public cloud region in Malaysia underscores Malaysia’s infrastructure readiness, and its growing position as a premier Southeast Asian destination for digital investments,” he added.
Oracle is the latest global tech giant to announce major digital investments in Southeast Asia. Google-parent Alphabet Inc in May said it would invest US$2 billion to house the firm’s first data center in Malaysia.
Google on Monday said it plans to invest US$1 billion to build digital infrastructure in Thailand, including a new data center.
Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp have also announced investments worth billions of dollars in the region as demand for AI heats up.
CLOUD POLICY
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday announced that the country plans to develop a National Cloud Policy.
It would focus on four core areas including boosting public service innovation and efficiency as well as strengthening user trust and data security, Anwar said.
The government would also set up a national AI office to coordinate all initiatives related to AI technology.
That was in line with efforts to position the nation as a competitive player in the global AI landscape, Anwar added.
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