Google set to invest RM61bil in Malaysia over 2027-28

 The Alphabet subsidiary is expected to contribute an annual average of RM4.48 billion to the nation’s GDP over the two years.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre) and president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google Ruth Porat at the Google Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI at University Malaya. Flanking them are digital minister Gobind Singh Deo and communications minister i Fahmi Fadzil. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

Google plans to invest US$15 billion (RM61.1 billion) in Malaysia from 2027 to 2028 in digital infrastructure development, the expansion of data centre campuses, and clean energy and water supply initiatives.

The investment is expected to contribute an annual average of RM4.48 billion to the nation’s GDP throughout the construction phase over the two years.

Ruth Porat, the president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and its subsidiary, Google LLC, announced this at an event at Universiti Malaya today with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

She said the investment reflected Google’s commitment to expanding its operations responsibly and providing long-term benefits to the economy and public.

Porat said Google will also fund four new programmes aimed at upskilling 800,000 Malaysians by 2031.

These programmes will advance AI literacy in classrooms nationwide, help local businesses reach more customers online, equip local government officials with AI literacy skills and productivity tools, and prepare job seekers for on-site roles at data centres.

Anwar said the investment would strengthen Malaysia’s position as a leading digital power in Southeast Asia, catalyse economic growth and create more opportunities for highly skilled jobs.

He said Google’s commitment to upskill 800,000 Malaysians in digital and technological skills would also support the government’s human capital development agenda.

The initiative would also benefit rural communities, low-income groups, the Orang Asli community, civil servants, and small traders.

“We do not want an AI divide to emerge, where only a small group of elites in boardrooms or laboratories benefit, while the rest are merely spectators,” he said.

Data centre campuses for Selangor, Negeri Sembilan

Porat said Google’s main projects include the development of energy-efficient data centre campuses in industrial zones, including new campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

The construction phase is expected to support more than 37,000 local jobs each year, of which about 6,000 are estimated to be in the construction sector.

She said the facilities, once operational, are projected to support more than 9,000 local jobs on an ongoing basis, with average wages 45% higher than the national median.

In addition to expanding infrastructure, Google aims to add more than one gigawatt of clean energy capacity to the national grid through investments in clean energy. - FMT