AirTrunk pumps another $3bn into Malaysia

• The datacentre operator already has two major datacentre facilities in Malaysia
• Now it is investing $3bn to develop another two locations in the country
• The move comes only days after AirTrunk announced its entry into India via an acquisition

Datacentre operator AirTrunk is to invest a further $3bn in Malaysia as part of a plan to double the number of facilities it runs in the country to four and increase its total capacity to 700 megawatts (MWs). 

AirTrunk, which is owned by Blackstone and CPP Investments, already has two major datacentres, its JHB1 and JHB2 campuses, under development near the city of Johor Bahru in the very south of the country (and just north of Singapore).

Now, in the same area, it is adding JHB3 and JHB4, which will have a combined capacity of more than 280 megawatts (MW) of IT load. The two new campuses will be “purpose-built to support high-density cloud and AI workloads” and will “prioritise energy efficiency, operating at significantly lower power usage levels than conventional datacentres. The campuses will also include advanced cooling systems that utilise 100% recycled water, minimising any impact on local resources,” noted AirTrunk. 

The move takes AirTrunk’s planned capacity to 700 MW and its investments in Malaysia to about $6.8bn.   

AirTrunk founder and CEO Robin Khuda hinted at further investments in the country by noting that the new plan “represents the next phase of our expansion in Malaysia, building on the strong momentum of our existing Johor platform. Malaysia has set a clear ambition to lead in AI, and we’re investing in that vision for the long term, both within Johor and across the country in time. Our confidence comes from the strong partnership we have with the Malaysian government and local stakeholders, who have supported us every step of the way.”

The move comes only days after AirTrunk announced its entry into India via the acquisition for an undisclosed sum of datacentre developer Lumina CloudInfra (which had been owned by Blackstone). “The transaction will give AirTrunk immediate access to Lumina’s development pipeline, existing contracts and relationships, and operating capabilities,” noted AirtTrunk. “This includes an approximately 600 MW portfolio of planned capacity, representing up to $5bn of future development potential.”   

Including the new expansion in Malaysia and the acquisition in India, AirTrunk now boasts more than 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of operating and planned capacity across 22 campuses in six operating regions – Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India.

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV