Google to Invest $15 Billion in Malaysia: Data Center Campuses Over Two Years, About 800,000 People to Be Trained

What happened

The investment was announced at an event in Kuala Lumpur attended by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with Ruth Porat, Alphabet's president and chief investment officer, presenting the plan for Google. The spending covers 2027 and 2028 and will expand the existing campus at Elmina Business Park and build new campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan; the computing capacity in Selangor will support the upcoming Google Cloud region in Malaysia, giving enterprises cloud and AI computing.

The supporting measures were announced together with the campuses: more than 1 GW of new clean energy capacity for the National Grid, developed with national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad, with Google paying for all the power its campuses use and the direct cost of connecting them to the grid; an off-river reservoir and water treatment plant in Negeri Sembilan, nature-based work in the Sungai Buloh and Sungai Selangor river basins, and water storage tanks and rainwater harvesting systems at four schools.

The training programs run through 2031: four new programs aimed at educators and young people, microentrepreneurs, civil servants and vocational jobseekers, with a goal of training about 800,000 Malaysians; Google also plans Data Center Institutes at polytechnics in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, with a 10-week course training technical talent from 2027. On Nov 5, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the government had invited Google to expand cooperation on AI Cities and AI safety.

Key facts

1. Announced by: Google, Nov 4, 2026; Ruth Porat, Alphabet's president and chief investment officer, announced it in Kuala Lumpur alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
2. Amount and period: $15 billion over 2027–2028
3. Campuses: the first campus at Elmina Business Park is operational; new campuses are planned in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan
4. Clean energy: more than 1 GW of new clean energy capacity for the National Grid, developed with Tenaga Nasional Berhad
5. Power costs: Google pays for all the power its campuses use and the direct grid-connection costs
6. Training: about 800,000 Malaysians to be trained by 2031, through four new programs and Data Center Institutes
7. Economic impact (Google's projections): construction is expected to contribute about $1.1 billion a year to GDP, support more than 37,000 local jobs a year and generate $378 million in average annual labor income; once operational, the facilities are projected to sustain more than 9,000 local jobs a year, with wages averaging 45% above the national median
8. Supply chain: more than 80 Malaysian entities are working with Google to build and operate the infrastructure
9. Water: an off-river reservoir and water treatment plant in Negeri Sembilan, river-basin stewardship on two rivers, and water resilience centers at four schools
10. Background: Google announced a $2 billion investment in May 2024, covering its first data center and cloud region; on Nov 5 the Digital Minister invited Google to collaborate on AI Cities