Video source: YouTube, Microsoft APAC
Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced Monday it will establish its first datacenter region in Malaysia, as part of a plan to help advance the country’s digital economy.
The new datacenter region in greater Kuala Lumpur will provide local customers access to Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform and provide users the ability to store data in-country, the company said.
Microsoft also intends to support Malaysia’s digital transformation by working with the government, startups and companies, in addition to helping 1 million Malaysians learn digital skills by the end of 2023.
Altogether Microsoft will invest $1 billion over the next five years into the partnership program with the government and local businesses, according to Reuters.
Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president of Microsoft global sales, marketing and operations, said, “Today’s announcement represents a major milestone for Microsoft in the 28 years we have been operating in Malaysia. We share the government’s commitment that digital transformation must be inclusive and responsible.”
“The upcoming datacenter region will be a game-changer for Malaysia, enabling the government and businesses to reimagine and transform their operations, to the benefit of all citizens,” he continued.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said, “As we cement the Microsoft partnership today, I hope this is just the first green shoots of a broader meadow of investments in Malaysia, for Microsoft and other data players.”
“This significant investment from Microsoft further fortifies Malaysia’s position as a potential regional data hub, and we stand ever ready to welcome more such partners as we work with our stakeholders to continually improve Malaysia’s value proposition in this big data space,” he said.
In February, the Malaysian government granted special permission to Microsoft, Alphabet Inc’s Google, Amazon.com Inc and Telekom Malaysia to build data centers and provide cloud services, Reuters reported.
According to an International Data Corporation study sponsored by Microsoft, the company’s investment in Malaysia could generate up to $4.6 billion in new revenues and 19,000 new jobs over the next four years.
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Source: Equities News
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