Google will invest $2 billion in Malaysia to house the firm's first data center in the country, the government said Thursday, making it the latest tech titan to pump cash into the region in search of growth opportunities.
The government said the cash would support 26,500 jobs across various sectors in Malaysia, including health care, education, and finance, and comes days after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim targeted at least $107 billion in investments for the semiconductor industry.
Anwar said in April that he planned to build Southeast Asia's largest integrated circuit design park, while offering incentives including tax breaks and subsidies to attract global tech companies and investors.
Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and its parent firm Alphabet, said: "Google's first data center and Google Cloud region is our largest planned investment so far in Malaysia -- a place Google has been proud to call home for 13 years.
"This investment builds on our partnership with the Malaysian government to advance its 'Cloud First Policy', including best-in-class cybersecurity standards."
