SoftBank weighs a $50 billion AI bet on Malaysia, equal to a tenth of the country’s GDP
Source: Fortune ·
Malaysia has recorded $94B of data-center investments between 2021 and mid-2026; Softbank’s investment plan would lift that total by more than half.
From the source
Japan’s SoftBank Group is discussing a plan for a $50 billion of investment into Malaysia, focusing on artificial intelligence and data centers, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in an Oct. 24 speech—setting up a spending plan equal to roughly a tenth of the country’s economy. Anwar said he discussed this investment with SoftBank chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son during a video call last week, according to a speech published on Oct. 24 by the Prime Minister’s Office. “He said he had chosen Sarawak—Kuching—and Peninsular Malaysia to expand investment in what would be among the largest investments in the region, worth $50 billion,” Anwar said in Malacca. (Malacca holds state elections on Nov. 14; Sarawak’s state legislature was dissolved today, meaning elections must be held by Dec. 26) According to Nikkei Asia, SoftBank is expected to contribute a part of the total investment, with financing and other partners providing the rest. Fortune has reached out to SoftBank for comment.…