Malaysia PM Cites Proposed US$50 Billion Technology Investment Including Data Centers
DataNews Editorial Team
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said an investor identified by Bloomberg as SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son had selected Kuching in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia for US$50 billion of investment in AI, new technologies and data centers. SoftBank has not publicly confirmed the intention, and no binding investment agreement or project specifications were disclosed.
- The US$50 billion figure is a stated intention covering AI, new technologies and data centers, not confirmed data-center-only CAPEX.
- Kuching, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia were named as prospective locations.
- SoftBank has not publicly confirmed the reported investment intention.
- No capacity, power, grid, site, construction or commissioning details have been disclosed.
- The SoftBank, Grab and PETROS framework agreement concerns exploration and roadmap development, not a confirmed data-center build.
Malaysia’s prime minister said on October 24 that, during a video call, one of the world’s largest investors had chosen Kuching, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia for a proposed US$50 billion investment spanning AI, new technologies and data centers. Bloomberg identified the investor as Masayoshi Son.
The stated US$50 billion figure covers the broader technology investment package, including data centers; it is not disclosed as data-center-only CAPEX. SoftBank has not publicly confirmed the investment intention, and the available information does not identify a signed investment contract, project counterparties, financing structure or allocation of funds across AI, technology and data-center assets.
No data-center capacity, power requirement, grid-supply arrangement, land site, construction timetable or commissioning date has been disclosed. The announcement should therefore be treated as a potential development signal rather than evidence of a data-center project entering construction.
Separately, SoftBank, Grab and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) signed a framework agreement earlier in October to explore AI and digital infrastructure opportunities in Sarawak and develop a phased roadmap. That agreement does not confirm the development of a specific data center, but PETROS’ involvement suggests that energy considerations could be relevant if subsequent projects proceed.
Malaysia has already recorded substantial data-center-related investment activity. MIDA data cited by the source put cumulative data-center-related investments at MYR385.7 billion, approximately US$94 billion, from 2021 through the first half of 2026. The reported SoftBank-related proposal could reinforce perceptions of Malaysia—and Sarawak in particular—as a potential destination for AI infrastructure, subject to contractual commitments and project-level disclosures.
If translated into contracted projects and execution, the proposal could drive demand for data-center sites, power supply, network infrastructure and AI compute capacity in Malaysia. For now, it is an early indicator of potential development rather than confirmed construction or delivered capacity.
- — / October 25, 2026 · ChineseSource →
This article was prepared by the DataNews editorial team based on the sources listed above.