Malaysia's two major local industry leaders YTL Corporation Berhad and Johor Land Group jointly announced that they will collaborate to develop a gigawatt level data center park in Johor state. The implementation of this project marks a further acceleration of the construction pace of Southeast Asia's computing hub, and also highlights Johor's core position in the regional AI computing layout.

Collaborative construction of computing power cluster in dual parks

According to third-party organizations' calculations, the planned total installed capacity of this new park is between 1.3 and 1.5 gigawatts, which is a supplementary project to YTL Corporation Berhad's Gulai Green Data Center Park. The latter plans to have a maximum installed capacity of 1.2 gigawatts, and the total capacity of the two parks will reach 2.7 gigawatts after they are fully put into operation, directly connecting with the rapidly growing demand for cloud computing and AI computing power in Southeast Asia.

YTL Corporation Berhad is promoting the spin off and listing of its data center business, with a potential valuation of MYR 28 billion after the IPO. At the same time, the group is also negotiating the issuance of its first Islamic bond to open up a special financing channel for data center projects. According to the long-term plan, YTL Corporation Berhad will also establish a computing power capacity of approximately 1 gigawatt in the Klang Valley and expand into overseas markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The overall installed capacity target will be raised to 3 to 4 gigawatts.

Collaboration between government and enterprises to connect and implement the entire chain

The Malaysian State Power Company is constructing a new 500 kV substation in the western area of the West Sienna Technology Park. After the supporting facilities are put into use, it will provide stable high-voltage power supply support for the data center project, helping companies quickly finalize long-term power supply agreements with downstream customers.

YTL Corporation Berhad's subsidiary will acquire 145 acres of land within the park, while retaining up to 400 acres of future expansion options. The division of labor between the two parties is clear, with Yang Zhongli providing core technical capabilities for the development and operation of digital infrastructure, while Johor Land, as the general developer of Ibrahim Technology City, is responsible for supporting infrastructure and building an industrial ecosystem. As the core carrier of the Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone, the 2951 hectare Ibrahim Technology City is becoming an important landing point for Southeast Asia to receive global computing power investment.

From the industrial synergy of local leaders, to the park support led by the state government, and to the advanced layout of national level power facilities, Johor is forming a complete system for the landing of computing power infrastructure. This model will also provide a reference sample for government enterprise cooperation in the construction of AI computing power clusters throughout Southeast Asia.Editor/Cheng Liting