KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--SoftBank Group Corp. chairman and chief executive Masayoshi Son is planning $50 billion of artificial-intelligence and technology-related investments in Malaysia, according to the country's prime minister.
"Masayoshi Son, one of the world's largest investors, held a video conference with me last Tuesday and said he had selected Kuching in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia for the investment," Anwar said in a speech at a government event in Melaka state on Saturday.
Describing the planned outlay as the largest of its kind in the region, Anwar said the capital injection will focus on AI, emerging technologies and data centers.
In an emailed statement on Tuesday, a SoftBank Group spokesperson said the company was working closely with the Malaysian government and other relevant parties to explore business opportunities in AI and digital infrastructure in the country.
Earlier this month, SoftBank Group signed a framework agreement to explore developing an AI and digital infrastructure platform in Sarawak with ride-hailing firm Grab and Petroleum Sarawak, the state-owned oil and gas company.
Malaysia has become a key destination for data center and AI investments in Southeast Asia, thanks to its relatively low electricity costs, abundant land, strategic location and growing digital infrastructure.
Tech giants such as Microsoft Corp., Google and ByteDance have unveiled several large-scale investments in Southeast Asia in recent years, much of it part of efforts to develop infrastructure to meet the growing computational needs of AI systems.
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