KUALA LUMPUR: More than 9,000 local jobs, paying average wages 45 per cent above the national median, are expected to be sustained annually under Google’s US$15 billion (RM61 billion) data centre expansion in Malaysia.
Alphabet and Google president and chief investment officer Ruth Porat said the investment, covering 2027 and 2028, would also support more than 37,000 local jobs annually during the construction of new facilities in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
READ MORE: Google accepts environmental conditions for US$15b Malaysia investment: Anwar
Speaking at the Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI event at Universiti Malaya today, she said the projects were projected to contribute an average of US$1.1 billion (RM4.47 billion) annually to Malaysia’s gross domestic product during construction.
Once operational, the facilities are expected to sustain more than 9,000 jobs annually, including direct employment, supplier-related positions and wider economic activities.
“We’re proud to be creating jobs, and even more so to be creating high-value jobs that propel households forward, responding to the government’s goal to raise the ceiling and raise the floor,” she said.
Porat said Google’s expansion reflected its confidence in Malaysia’s workforce and growing digital economy, with the investment intended to create further employment opportunities for Malaysians.
“Google’s announcement reflects our confidence in the strength of Malaysia’s leadership, its skilled workforce and enthusiasm for digital transformation.
“And it underscores our commitment to strengthen Google’s connection with Malaysia and Southeast Asia,” she said.
Beyond employment, Porat announced that Google would fund four new programmes aimed at equipping approximately 800,000 Malaysians with digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills by 2031.
“Specifically, Google will provide funding for four new programmes aimed at upskilling 800,000 Malaysians by 2031,” she said.
According to Google’s announcement, the initiatives include Data Center Institutes at selected polytechnics in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, offering a 10-week training curriculum from 2027 to prepare Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) jobseekers for data centre roles.
The other programmes comprise Experience AI Malaysia for schoolteachers, Jelajah AI MSME for microentrepreneurs and Anjakan Kemahiran AI Demi Rakyat for local government personnel.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said foreign investments must translate into better-paying jobs and greater opportunities for Malaysian workers.
“In Economic MADANI, we do not measure success by headlines alone, but by whether our brightest young talents can earn what they truly deserve and walk with their heads held high on the global stage,” he said.
Anwar also highlighted Google’s partnerships with more than 80 Malaysian entities across civil engineering, power systems, network infrastructure and logistics.
“Not out of obligation, but because Malaysian companies are competent, disciplined and competitive on world-class terms.
“This partnership proves that when foreign capital meets homegrown capability, our local firms do not just participate. They sharpen their edge and prepare to compete globally,” he said.
The latest expansion builds on Google’s earlier US$2 billion (RM9.4 billion) investment, announced in May 2024, to establish its first Malaysian data centre and Google Cloud region in Selangor.
That investment was previously projected to support 26,500 jobs across various sectors by 2030. Google confirmed today that its Elmina Business Park data centre is now fully operational.
Anwar officiated the Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI event at Universiti Malaya.
Also present were Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin and Google Cloud Malaysia country manager Hannah Raja.
