SoftBank Group plans to invest $50 billion in Malaysia, focusing on artificial intelligence, new technologies, and data centers, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said1,2.
Anwar said SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son identified locations in Kuching, Sarawak, and peninsular Malaysia for the planned investments following a video conference between the two earlier in the week.
SoftBank signed a framework agreement earlier this month with Singapore-based Grab and Malaysia's Petroleum Sarawak Berhad to explore AI and digital infrastructure development in Sarawak. The agreement covers AI computing services and advanced technologies.
The commitment lands as Malaysia pursues a goal of becoming an "AI nation" by 2030, with the government having launched a national AI action plan earlier this year to strengthen the country's AI capabilities and infrastructure.
The planned deployment also fits SoftBank's broader capital mobilization for AI. The company has been seeking to raise as much as $100 billion from Gulf investors to scale up its artificial intelligence investments, with Son holding talks with senior figures in the region[3].
ANALYSIS Directing $50 billion toward Malaysian infrastructure while simultaneously courting Gulf capital underscores the scale at which SoftBank is committing to AI physical infrastructure across multiple geographies.