Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said SoftBank Group, the Japan-based technology investment firm led by Masayoshi Son, had selected Kuching in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia for proposed US$50 billion investments in AI, new technology, and data centers.

SoftBank representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The proposal goes beyond SoftBank’s previously announced framework agreement with Grab and state-owned Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) to explore an AI digital infrastructure platform in Sarawak, which was not a final investment commitment.

If carried out, the investment would expand SoftBank’s push into AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia. Malaysia has also attracted data center investments from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Malaysia’s data center buildout faces resource strains, especially limits on power and water, which could affect approvals and construction timelines.

According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Malaysia recorded 385.7 billion ringgit (US$94.5 billion) in data center-related investments from 2021 through the first half of 2026, equivalent to US$94 billion.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

Recent SoftBank developments