Google announced a US$15 billion investment in Malaysia for 2027–2028, combining new data center campuses with job creation, skills training, water projects and clean-energy development, building on more than 15 years in the country.

The expansion follows the launch of Google’s first Malaysian data center at Elmina Business Park in Selangor in 2024; the facility is now operational.

During construction, the campuses are projected to contribute an average of US$1.1 billion annually to Malaysia’s GDP and support more than 37,000 local jobs per year, including about 6,000 construction roles, alongside average annual labor income of US$378 million.

Once operational, the campuses are expected to sustain more than 9,000 local jobs annually, with average wages 45% above the national median; recruitment is underway for technical and facilities-management roles at planned campuses beyond Elmina.

Google is working with more than 80 Malaysian suppliers across construction, engineering, network infrastructure, equipment and support services, with relationships expected to continue throughout the facilities’ multi-decade operating lifetimes.

Four programs are intended to upskill approximately 800,000 Malaysians from 2027 through 2031, covering AI education for teachers and students, digital and AI training for microbusinesses, AI tools for local government staff, and 10-week data center courses at selected polytechnics in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

A planned off-river reservoir and water-treatment plant in Negeri Sembilan is designed to supply 65 million litres of potable water daily, reduce flood risks, preserve dry-season reserves and expand access to free drinking water; ownership will transfer to the state government when the project is complete.

Other water initiatives include nature-based river-basin projects in Sungai Buloh and Sungai Selangor, as well as rainwater-harvesting systems at four Selangor schools, each with 20,000-litre storage tanks that could provide emergency water for up to 2,000 people for at least two weeks.

Google said assessments found no high risk of water scarcity or depletion in the watersheds serving its Selangor and Negeri Sembilan campuses, informing its choice of water cooling, which it says can use about 10% less energy than air cooling; it is also working with local partners on watershed restoration, water quality and community water resilience.

Google says it will pay the full cost of its electricity use and direct grid connections, while initiatives planned from 2027 are expected to help reduce household electricity bills in the host states.

Google says its data centers in tropical climates such as Malaysia can achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness of 1.12–1.14, compared with an industry average of 1.54, and plans to disclose quarterly figures for each site once fully operational.