KUALA LUMPUR (May 22): Data centre provider Princeton Digital Group has acquired 31 acres of land from JLand Group Sdn Bhd — the real estate infrastructure arm and wholly owned subsidiary of Johor Corp (JCorp) — to develop a 150MW data centre campus in Malaysia.
The data centre campus will be located in the estimated 700-acre Sedenak Tech Park (STeP) in Johor, which is part of JCorp's Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC) development in Johor.
According to a press release on Monday (May 22), the data centre will be developed in several phases. The first phase will see the development of 60MW with an investment of RM2 billion, which will commence operations by 2Q2024. The price of the land was not revealed in the statement.
In the statement, JCorp president and CEO and JLand Group chairman Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said, “At this point, the focus for JLand Group is expanding data centre opportunities as investors and operators are prioritising the sector’s fast-growing prospects.
“Through our integrated offerings at Sedenak Tech Park (STeP), we remain committed to strengthening Johor’s position as a regional data centre hub given its capability to meet the accelerating demand. Princeton Digital Group’s entry into Johor and STeP is a strong validation of JLand Group’s strategy and offerings.”
The project marks Princeton Digital Group’s entry into Malaysia, its sixth country after Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, and Japan. Named JH1, the data centre is expected to be one of the largest data centre campuses in Southeast Asia.
Princeton Digital Group Singapore’s managing director and chief technology officer Asher Ling said, “We have a deep understanding of hyperscaler needs as they expand their presence in Southeast Asia while requiring access to best-in-class digital infrastructure.
“SteP, with its strong power and connectivity infrastructure and other enabling factors, is the ideal site for our hyperscale development. Our data centre will utilise next-generation, cutting-edge sustainable technology solutions. We are also actively collaborating with local partners and regulators to integrate renewable energy initiatives for powering our facility,” Ling added.
Meanwhile, the statement highlighted that JLand Group has announced the expansion of its 640-acre data centre park, STeP 2, which is projected to be ready in September 2024. As part of the larger IBTEC development, STeP 2 will be powered by a solar photovoltaic farm, in line with the Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) and is also set to benefit from IBTEC’s preparations in achieving Malaysia Digital (MD) Cybercentre status.