Google unveiled a plan to invest US$15 billion in Malaysia over 2027 and 2028 to build energy-efficient data center campuses, expand national digital infrastructure, and upskill 800,000 Malaysians by 2031, framing it as a move to deepen Malaysia’s role as a regional digital hub.

The investment will span new campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, complementing an existing campus at Elmina Business Park in Selangor, with Eco Business Park in Puncak Alam and UMV High Value Manufacturing Park in Serendah among sites under consideration.

Regulators have signaled caution, noting data center approvals will depend on securing sufficient energy and water supplies before projects proceed.

Google commits to transparency and accountability through Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting and third-party audits, and it plans quarterly disclosures of site-specific PUE targets between 1.12 and 1.14.

The three campuses are designed for resilience, enabling transfer of services between sites if one location is temporarily disrupted to maintain uptime for essential services.

Water infrastructure is central, including a dedicated reservoir and treatment facility projected to deliver 65 million litres of drinking water daily to the data centers and nearby communities.

Selangor was chosen for a greenfield environment with fewer existing data centers to assess impact on the local electricity grid and support data residency for regulated sectors like banking and public services.

Google says the facilities will be energy-efficient and contribute cleaner energy to the grid, while addressing environmental concerns tied to data centers such as electricity and water usage, noise, and pollution.

Water stewardship is a priority, with watershed health assessments guiding water cooling usage, and projects including river basin stewardship and school-based water resilience centers underway in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Google plans to disclose site-specific water usage and pursue nature-based solutions in collaboration with local partners, relying on a data-driven framework for watershed health.

The project aims to connect 1 GW of clean energy to the national grid under the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme, with facilities engineered for a low power use and PUE of 1.12–1.14.

The event was attended by key government and industry figures, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and ministers for higher education and communications.