KUALA LUMPUR (May 2): US software giant Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would invest US$2.2 billion (RM10.5 billion) over the next four years in cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Malaysia.
The investment plan was announced by Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella during his visit to Malaysia at the Microsoft Build AI Day event.
The investment also marks the single largest investment by Microsoft in its 32-year history in Malaysia.
Nadella said that Microsoft is committed to supporting Malaysia's AI transformation and ensuring it benefits all Malaysians.
“Our investments in digital infrastructure and skilling will help Malaysian businesses, communities and developers apply the latest technology to drive inclusive economic growth and innovation across the country,” Nadella said in keynote address at the event.
Prior to the announcement, it is understood that Nadella had a closed-door meeting earlier with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the AI National Leadership Forum in Putrajaya.
The latest investment by Microsoft is set to transform Malaysia into a leading digital hub regionally, while targeting to skill 200,000 Malaysians, and powering up the nation's economic growth through Microsoft's cutting edge technology.
“Microsoft will continue to partner with the government of Malaysia to enhance the nation's digital ecosystem through several initiatives,” Microsoft said in a statement.
These include establishing a national AI centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital to drive AI adoption across key industries, while ensuring AI governance and regulatory compliance.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) said that the investment by Microsoft will firmly position Malaysia as a preferred destination for digital investments.
“It also supports Malaysia's national initiative to embrace new, enabling technology, including AI and generative AI, which could unlock US$113.4 billion in productive capacity in Malaysia,” Miti said in a statement.
Besides Malaysia, Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it will open its first regional data centre in neighbouring Thailand. Prior to that, Microsoft also said that it will make an investment worth US$1.7 billion in AI and cloud facilities in Indonesia.
Microsoft has pledged to train 2.5 million people in Southeast Asia in the use of Al by 2025.
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