Source: AFP
Tech giant Oracle said on Wednesday it plans to invest more than $6.5 billion in cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining the list of US titans rushing to build their artificial intelligence infrastructure in Southeast Asia.
The company said the cloud region will help organizations in the country modernize their applications, move their workloads 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 that it will surpass $100 billion in revenue in fiscal 2029, driven by growing demand for cloud services.
The new Malaysia cloud site will be the company’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,” Garrett Ilg, Oracle’s executive vice president for Japan and Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
Read also
Germany opens IBM’s first European quantum data center
“Our multi-billion dollar investment reaffirms our commitment to Malaysia as a regional gateway for cloud infrastructure, as well as a comprehensive suite of software-as-a-service applications developed in Malaysia.”
The statement also said Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz welcomed the investment, saying it would help companies with innovative and cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies boost their global competitiveness.
“Oracle’s decision to establish a public cloud region in Malaysia underscores Malaysia’s infrastructure readiness and its growing position as a leading destination in Southeast Asia for digital investment,” he added.
Oracle is the latest global tech giant to announce major digital investments in Southeast Asia. Google parent Alphabet said in May it would invest $2 billion to house the company’s first data center in Malaysia.
Read also
Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin fell on profit warnings
Google announced on Monday that it plans to invest $1 billion to build digital infrastructure in Thailand, including a new data center.
Amazon and Microsoft have also announced billion-dollar investments in the region as demand for artificial intelligence grows.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Tuesday that the country plans to develop a National Cloud Policy.
Anwar said it would focus on four key areas, including boosting innovation and efficiency of public services, as well as enhancing user trust and data security.
The government will also create a National Office of Artificial Intelligence to coordinate all initiatives related to AI technology.
This, Anwar added, was in line with efforts to position the nation as a competitive player in the global AI landscape.
Source: AFP
