Data Centres: Economic Enabler or Just Real Estate Hype?

Amy Wong, Executive Director of Research & Consultancy, Knight Frank Malaysia

23-Jan-25 12:00

Data Centres: Economic Enabler or Just Real Estate Hype?

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Malaysia tops the Southeast Asia-5 Data Centre Opportunity Index yet again, clocking an impressive 429 MW in annual take-up—well ahead of Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. From subsea fibre connectivity and cloud availability zones to an influx of tech giants like Microsoft, AWS, Google, and Oracle, in this episode of Enterprise Explores, we dive into factors that cement Malaysia’s position as a digital infrastructure hub, why it matters and the whether data centres act as a true economic multiplier or if they’re primarily another property strategy.

Discover how Johor is rising as a data centre hub, explore other key regions, and learn about government measures—such as the Green Lane Pathway and updated planning guidelines—to streamline electricity supply and expand investment opportunities.

Produced by: Kishan Sivaswamy

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan

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Categories: economy, technology, managing, markets, international, environment, government

Tags: data centre expansion, Malaysia data hub, Knight Frank report, Johor IT capacity, government incentives, global tech, digital infrastructure,

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