SoftBank plans $50 billion AI and data center push in Malaysia, Anwar says
Masayoshi Son has picked sites in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The country aims to become an "AI nation" by 2030.
Archive image · Photo: European Communities, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
SoftBank Group plans to invest about $50 billion in Malaysia in artificial intelligence, new technology and data centers, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. Anwar said in a speech in Malacca on Saturday that Chief Executive Masayoshi Son had informed him in a videoconference that he had chosen regions for the projects.
"He said he had chosen Sarawak — Kuching — and Peninsular Malaysia to expand investment," Anwar said. SoftBank did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to news site JKN. Earlier this month, SoftBank signed a framework agreement with Grab and state-owned Petroleum Sarawak to explore AI and digital infrastructure in Sarawak.
Malaysia aims to become an "AI nation" by 2030. The country drew 385.7 billion ringgit (about $94 billion) in data center-related investment from 2021 through the first half of 2026, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, with Amazon, Microsoft and Google among the builders. SoftBank is also pursuing a $500 billion data center project in Ohio.