Google has just revealed plans to invest $2 billion in Malaysia, where it is looking to build its first data center and boost local capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI).
The new site will operate as a cloud region and support Google’s digital services, including Maps, Workspace and Search, the company said in a statement Thursday. It will also power the AI services the cloud provider is looking to promote in the country.
Located in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the data center will be in one of 11 countries where Google operates such facilities, including Singapore, IndonesiaAnd Korea. The provider currently operates 40 cloud regions and 121 regions worldwide.
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Once operational, the new data center will operate alongside Google’s dedicated cloud connectivity locations in Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur. According to Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat, it also marks the vendor’s largest investment to date in Malaysia, where it has operated for the past 13 years.
“[In particular]Google’s data centers and cloud regions…will empower our manufacturing and service-based industries to leverage AI and other advanced technologies to advance the global value chain,” Tengku Senator Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz said in a statement.
In March, Google launched programs to train Malaysian youth in AI-focused skills, partnering with the Ministry of Higher Education to provide 161 higher education institutions with 500 Vocational Certificate scholarships. Google’s business for each facility. It also provides Google Workspace tools to 445,000 employees.
The US company added that it has introduced two programs aimed at raising the level of AI literacy among local students and educators, including the Gemini Academy, which aims to help educators use Use general AI tools, such as Gemini, responsibility. More than 600 educators have participated in the program since its pilot last November, which has now expanded to include more educational institutions. Google is aiming to enroll 15,000 educators in the program by the end of the year.
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Google has also been providing on-site AI training and materials for students aged 11 to 14. Launched in April, the program aims to train an initial target of 1,000 educators and then reach 10,000 students across Malaysia, Google said.
