Microsoft to invest $1bn in Malaysian data centres

Microsoft is set to invest $1bn in Malaysia to set up data centres in the country over the next five years, reported Reuters on Monday.

According to a statement from the Malaysian Prime Minister, the technology giant will make the investment through a partnership programme with government agencies and local companies.

In February, the government had granted special permission to Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Telekom Malaysia to build data centres and provide cloud services.

Investments from those cloud service providers were expected to total between $2.91bn-$3.64bn over the next five years.

As part of the Bersama Malaysia initiative, Microsoft would establish its first "datacentre region", consisting of multiple data centres in Malaysia to manage data from several countries, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said at an event marking the launch of the programme.

"The upcoming datacenter region will be a game-changer for Malaysia," Microsoft Executive Vice President Jean-Philippe Courtois said in a statement, adding that it would enable the government and businesses to "transform" their operations.

Included in the programme was assistance from Microsoft to help up to a million Malaysians sharpen their digital skills by the end of 2023.