KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 4): Google will invest US$15 billion (RM61 billion) in Malaysia over the next two years, covering energy efficient data centres, upskilling 800,000 Malaysians, water security and one gigawatt of clean energy.

In a statement on Wednesday to announce the Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI package of investments, the global tech giant said its infrastructure in Malaysia will support the country's next phase of growth and provide world-class computing capacity to run homegrown AI and digital applications.

These initiatives were launched at an event in Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim present. Also present were Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin and Alphabet and Google president and chief investment officer Ruth Porat.

Bernama quoted Anwar as saying during the launch: “We celebrate this commitment as a monumental milestone. At the same time, under the MADANI Economy framework and our New Industrial Master Plan 2030, our goal is to ensure that capital aligns with our deeper national journey."

Google will build new campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in 2027 and 2028, supporting 37,000 jobs a year, of which 6,000 will be in construction.

The construction is expected to contribute US$1.1 billion a year to Malaysia's gross domestic product and US$378 million in average annual labour income.

Google said the facilities will sustain 9,000 jobs, including data centre technicians, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as logistics and security managers. These positions are expected to have wages 45% above the national median.

Eighty Malaysian entities have been engaged to develop and operate the infrastructure.

These new facilities are in addition to the date centre at Elmina Business Park in Selangor.

Google also announced four programmes that will run until 2031 to upskill 800,000 Malaysians.

Experience AI Malaysia, a collaboration with the Education  Ministry, Penang Science Cluster and the Raspberry Pi Foundation, will train educators to advance AI literacy among students aged 11 to 14.

The Jelajah AI MSME will teach small businesses to harness information technology to expand their markets. 

The Anjakan Kemahiran AI Demi Rakyat (AKAD Rakyat) will train local council officers to boost their productivity using AI.    

Selected polytechnics in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan will host Data Centre Institutes to train a workforce for deployment at data centres.

Google is planning programmes to rehabilitate and preserve Sungai Buloh and Sungai Selangor via  nature-based solutions and community-led initiatives, including constructed wetlands, riverbank bioengineering, and pollution monitoring.

There are also plans to install rainwater harvesting systems at Selangor schools to serve up to 2,000 people in times of water supply disruption.

Google is planning projects to connect 1GW of clean energy to the national grid via the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme.

The tech giant said its facilities will be designed to minimise electricity use, with  Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.12 to 1.14, which is below the industry average of 1.54. 

"This investment aligns with Malaysia's development priorities, providing the foundational computing capacity to deliver the upside of innovation across the country while adding local power and water resources as our operations scale," Porat said.