Microsoft to establish first datacentre region in Malaysia

Microsoft Corp today announced that it would establish its first datacentre region in Malaysia as part of its “Together with Malaysia” initiative to empower the country’s inclusive digital economy and advance digital transformation across the private and public sectors.

The region, to be established in the greater Kuala Lumpur area, will see Microsoft delivering access to the full Microsoft Cloud including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.

It also announced plans to skill an additional one million Malaysians by the end of 2023 to help create economic opportunities for people and businesses in the digital era.

“We share the government’s commitment that digital transformation must be inclusive and responsible. As such, we pledge to empower one million Malaysians with digital skills, helping them to take advantage of the opportunities this new investment will bring.

“The upcoming datacentre region will be a game-changer for Malaysia, enabling the government and businesses to reimagine and transform their operations to the benefit of all citizens,” Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice-president and president of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, said in a statement.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin meanwhile welcomed Microsoft’s commitment to empowering the digital economy, saying the “Together with Malaysia” initiative would amount to at least US$1 billion or RM4 billion over the next five years.

“As I understand it, according to the International Data Corporation, the ripple effects of the data centre region investment today could translate into US$6.9 (RM28.3) of revenue generated in the local cloud ecosystem for every US$1 (RM4.2) of Microfsoft Malaysia’s cloud revenue by 2024,” he said in his speech at the launch of the initiative today.

He added that the regional data centres are expected to create 19,000 jobs, including 4,000 IT-related jobs among its cloud users.

“Malaysia fully intends to remain at the forefront of technology by using data to deliver improved services for businesses, increase economic productivity and boost competitiveness,” he said.