Kuala lumpur: Alibaba Cloud Intelligence has launched its new public cloud region in Johor, expanding its data centre footprint in Malaysia as it seeks to meet the growing demand for cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba Cloud Malaysia general manager Choong Hon Keat announced that this new facility is the company's second cloud region in Malaysia, emphasizing its commitment to investing in the country's digital economy.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Johor public cloud region, along with the existing Kuala Lumpur region, enhances Alibaba Cloud's infrastructure in Malaysia to five data centres, making it the company's largest presence in Southeast Asia. Choong noted that this expansion aims to provide customers with more resilient, low-latency services and improved cloud performance, catering primarily to Malaysian customers but also accessible to users in neighboring countries like Singapore.

Alibaba Cloud stated that the Johor facility is part of a larger US$53 billion investment by Alibaba Group in AI and cloud infrastructure, addressing the increasing demand for these services in Malaysia. This expansion brings Alibaba Cloud's global infrastructure network to 104 availability zones across 32 regions.

Choong further explained that AI adoption is rising in Malaysia and Alibaba Cloud is actively supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through collaborations with government agencies. The company works closely with entities such as the Digital Ministry and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to foster AI adoption among MSMEs, aligning with government initiatives to drive technological advancements.

'We do see that AI adoption has been increasing tremendously with the government also driving the initiatives. We will be continuously working with the relevant agencies in supporting MSMEs in their AI adoption and bringing our solutions to them,' Choong added.