Kuala lumpur: Equinix Inc is actively exploring opportunities across Malaysia to determine how the company can effectively service and meet future customer demand, amid strong and growing interest in the country's data centre market. Equinix Malaysia managing director Cheam Tat Inn said Malaysia is an attractive investment location for data centres, especially Johor, because of its proximity to Singapore.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cheam emphasized the strategic advantage of low-latency connectivity into a highly developed digital ecosystem during an exclusive media luncheon. He stated that Equinix is open to various locations across the country, with connectivity being a key consideration.

In November 2025, Equinix marked a major milestone with the topping out of its second data centre in Johor, JH2. Currently under construction, JH2 is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2027, with an investment of about US$201 million. The proximity to Equinix's existing data centres aligns with the company's strategy of building a strong, interconnected digital ecosystem.

Cheam highlighted the importance of power, resilience, sovereignty, and sustainability in determining competitiveness, not only in mature markets but also for high-growth economies such as Malaysia. He stressed that data centres are now an essential enabler and strategic partner, ensuring the continuous flow of data and power that keeps the world functioning.

As the company looks ahead to 2026, Cheam noted that infrastructure challenges will be critical, emphasizing that they lie in the physical foundations that keep digital systems operational and economies running. He shared five trends shaping the year ahead, including the shift to AI-ready infrastructure, resilience by design, data sovereignty as an architectural requirement, and sustainability defining Malaysia's leadership.

Cheam also mentioned that Equinix's data centres will provide the platform for sovereign data or sovereign AI deployment, with data residing in Malaysia in their data centres in Johor and Cyberjaya.