KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Microsoft will invest US$2.2 billion (RM10.5 billion) in the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) over the next four years, said its chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella.
This includes building digital infrastructure, creating AI skilling opportunities, establishing a national AI Centre of Excellence, and enhancing the nation’s cybersecurity capabilities.
The investment demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to developing Malaysia as a hub for cloud computing and related advanced technologies, including generative AI.
“We want to make sure that we have world-class infrastructure right here in the country so that every organisation, software developers and startups can use it, to not only build for this country but for the world and the region,” he said during the keynote address at the Microsoft Build AI Day today.
Satya added the investment will enable Microsoft to meet the growing demand for cloud computing services in Malaysia and allow the country to capitalise on the significant economic and productivity opportunities presented by the latest AI technology.
“Our investments in digital infrastructure and skilling will help Malaysian businesses, communities, and developers apply the latest technology to drive inclusive economic growth and innovation across the country,” he said.
According to research by Kearney, AI could contribute nearly US$1 trillion (RM4.75 trillion) to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, with Malaysia poised to capture US$115 billion (RM546.2 billion) of this amount.
Satya said that in the region, over 14 per cent incremental GDP growth is projected through AI technology across all sectors, including healthcare, education, retail, and energy.
“We ground ourselves in our mission to empower every person and organisation in Malaysia to be able to achieve more. To that end, we are building a complete cloud infrastructure.
“As a platform company, we are very focused on bringing world-class platforms to empower every developer and company to build more technology,” he said.
Microsoft will also continue to help foster the growth of Malaysia’s developer community through new initiatives such as AI Odyssey, which is expected to help 2,000 Malaysian developers become AI subject matter experts by learning new skills and earning Microsoft credentials.
Satya said Malaysia is a rapidly growing market on GitHub, the Microsoft-owned software development, collaboration and innovation platform with almost 680,000 of the nation’s developers using GitHub in 2023, representing 28 per cent year-on-year growth.
— Bernama
