Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced significant advancements in Malaysia’s technological and energy sectors following high-level meetings with delegations from Amazon Web Services (AWS). These investments align with Malaysia’s strategic goals to bolster digital transformation and energy transition.
In a meeting held last evening, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim received a courtesy visit from the AWS delegation, led by AWS Global Public Policy Vice President, Michael Punke. The discussion focused on the progress of AWS’s substantial investment in Malaysia, amounting to RM25.5 billion (US$6 billion) over 15 years, starting in 2023. This investment, announced last year, includes the development of state-of-the-art data centers in Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, which are progressing as planned.
“Malaysia welcomes the investment and strategic collaboration of AWS in supporting the latest digital transformation ecosystem such as cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, and generative artificial intelligence (AI). This is crucial to ensure Malaysia remains at the forefront of technological advancements, comparable to other developed countries,” said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
AWS reiterated its commitment to Malaysia’s digital future. “At Amazon Web Services (AWS), we are deeply committed to supporting the Malaysian Government’s MyDIGITAL initiative, and its aspiration to transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high-income nation by 2030. To help deliver this vision, AWS is excited to announce plans to launch world-class cloud infrastructure with an AWS Region in Malaysia,” stated AWS. The new AWS Region will include three Availability Zones, enhancing the reliability and security of services while meeting the growing demand for digital solutions across Southeast Asia. AWS’s planned investment of RM25.5 billion by 2037 will be its largest in Malaysia, fostering innovation and boosting productivity across various sectors.
Following the AWS delegation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also met with MASDAR Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, accompanied by the UAE Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr. Mubarak Saeed Aldhaheri. MASDAR outlined their investment proposals, set to be executed in several states over the next decade in collaboration with local partners. These investments are poised to transform Malaysia’s energy infrastructure in alignment with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
“Partnerships and strategic investments like this are critical to triggering a shift in Malaysia’s energy infrastructure ecosystem, in line with the goals of the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) which is being actively implemented,” Prime Minister Anwar emphasized. He expressed optimism that these collaborations would foster more investment opportunities, create jobs, and drive economic growth, resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties involved.
