KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has issued a direct call to Google to join its ambitious AI Cities initiative, as part of a wider push to transform the Southeast Asian nation into a regional hub for artificial intelligence (AI).
The invitation came as Alphabet and Google’s President and Chief Investment Officer, Ruth Porat, revealed that the technology giant will invest US$15 billion in Malaysia between 2027 and 2028. The bulk of the expenditure will fund data centre campuses, clean energy, water security, and worker upskilling programmes.
Addressing the Mantap Malaysia Bersama AI event at Universiti Malaya earlier today, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo urged Google to step beyond infrastructure funding and become a strategic partner in building a high-tech ecosystem.
“I would like to invite Google to work with Malaysia as a strategic partner in developing our AI economy — moving beyond infrastructure investment to building the industries, talent, research capabilities and innovations that will generate lasting economic value,” Gobind said.
Central to this strategy is the government’s AI Cities programme, a cornerstone of the National AI Action Plan 2026–2030.
“We envision AI Cities as living labs where government agencies, universities, researchers, Malaysian technology companies and global partners such as Google can develop, test and scale AI solutions to address real challenges — from traffic congestion and flood management to energy efficiency and more responsive public services,” Gobind added.
Malaysia aims to create products and services that can be exported globally.
“We want these innovations to benefit communities across Malaysia, while creating opportunities for Malaysian companies to develop products and services that can eventually serve markets beyond our borders,” he said, noting that this is how digital infrastructure turns into tangible economic benefits.
The partnership builds on existing joint schemes. Through the government’s AI@Work initiative, 445,000 Malaysian civil servants have been given access to Google’s AI tools to boost productivity. AI Untuk Rakyat, meanwhile, offers Malaysian youths three months of free access to AI software.
Porat said Google plans to build new data centre campuses in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. These will expand on its operational campus at Elmina Business Park in Selangor.
Google also announced four new training initiatives designed to upskill 800,000 Malaysians over the next five years.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir, and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, among others.
