Data Centres, Malaysian Hands: Open DC Wants Locals In On The Boom

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Open DC Sdn Bhd (Open DC) is positioning itself as a homegrown data centre operator that complements international players rather than competing directly with them, with local expertise, talent and supply chains forming the foundation of its business strategy.

Open DC managing director Wong Weng Yew said the company believes collaboration with established international operators can help strengthen Malaysia’s data centre industry and expand its regional presence.

“We don’t just look at the foreign players as our competitors. We look at them as a partner,” he told TRP in an interview.

Wong cited the company’s joint venture with DE-CIX – an operator of carrier- and data-center-neutral Internet exchanges – as an example of how Open DC works alongside international players, combining their experience and expertise to develop the Malaysian market.

He said Open DC’s strength lies in its local ownership, funding and workforce, with the company fully owned by Malaysians.

“Our funding is local. Our talent is local. We are 100% owned by locals,” he said.

Wong added that the company believes Malaysia’s local operators have an important role to play in supporting the country’s growing data centre ecosystem, particularly as the government places greater emphasis on local participation in resource-intensive industries.

Open DC, carrier-neutral and AI-ready data centre provider, operates six data centres in Malaysia – two each in Johor Bahru and Penang, and one in Cyberjaya and Kedah.

Open DC D8-1 Data Centre is situated in the Delapan Special Border Economic Zone (SBEZ) in Bukit Kayu Hitam, right at the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Building on local knowledge

Wong said OpenDC was among the early companies to recognise Johor Bahru’s potential as a regional data centre gateway, at a time when many operators, including local businesses, were more inclined to establish their presence in Singapore.

The company continues to view Johor as an important location for connecting Malaysia with regional markets.

Its expansion into Penang also reflects its strategy of identifying opportunities where local knowledge can complement the expertise of international companies.

Open DC entered Penang in 2022 and expanded its presence with an inter-exchange facility in 2024, supporting the state’s semiconductor industry.

Wong said local operators were better positioned to understand the region’s requirements, including where infrastructure should be built and how resources could be secured.

“We utilise our local expertise, identify the area where the foreigners are not paying attention to. And then we start there first,” he said.

Developing local suppliers

Open DC is also working to strengthen Malaysia’s local supply chain through its vendor development programme.

Wong said the company recognised early on that its long-term success depended heavily on local suppliers capable of supporting its data centre operations.

Under the programme, Open DC brings foreign equipment suppliers together with Malaysian partners to facilitate knowledge transfer and develop local technical capabilities.

He cited cooling systems as an example, explaining that international suppliers are required to work with local partners during installation and commissioning.

This allows Malaysian suppliers to gain practical experience and technical know-how, potentially enabling them to support Open DC’s operations independently in the future.

“We want to make sure that for the next five to 10 years, we have this local supplier to support us going forward.”

Wong said Open DC remains open to working with international players, stressing that the industry has room for multiple successful operators.

“I think this industry can have more than one winner. And Open DC will be very happy to collaborate with all our peers to win together.”

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Data Centres, Malaysian Hands: Open DC Wants Locals In On The Boom