Kuala lumpur: Malaysia's next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure growth will depend on disciplined planning across energy, digital infrastructure, and sustainability, according to global energy technology company Schneider Electric.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the French multinational corporation, which specialises in energy management and industrial automation, emphasised that rising data centre demand places greater pressure on power systems and resource management. The company's business vice-president for Malaysia (Secure Power), Adrian Koh, highlighted the need for early-stage planning in development, including site selection, electrical architecture, cooling strategy, equipment efficiency, water management, access to renewable energy, and operational monitoring.
Koh stated that the energy and environmental impacts are immediate concerns, especially as data centres require a stable electricity supply around the clock, with demand expected to rise as AI and digital automation expand. He discussed these insights with Bernama during Computex 2026.
Koh identified efficiency, energy planning, and digital infrastructure planning as three key priorities for Malaysia as data centre investments grow. He mentioned that Malaysia's AI Action Plan 2026-2030 provides a stronger policy foundation as AI infrastructure becomes increasingly linked to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, energy transition, and digital services. The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) supports AI growth by facilitating a sufficient, reliable, and greener energy supply.
With the rising demand from data centres and digital industries, Malaysia needs to strengthen grid resilience, enhance access to cleaner energy, and improve energy efficiency across its facilities. Koh explained that energy management, automation, and digital intelligence are critical for enabling operators to manage energy demand with precision while supporting uptime and sustainability goals.
The next phase of Malaysia's digital infrastructure growth will depend on reliability, execution speed, energy resilience, sustainability performance, and talent availability. Investors are increasingly seeking locations capable of delivering not just capacity, but trusted and efficient capacity.
Koh stressed the importance of aligning power demand planning, renewable energy access, energy efficiency, and grid connection strategies on the policy front. Clearer direction on energy access, renewable procurement, efficiency standards, water stewardship, and talent development would further strengthen Malaysia's position as a long-term digital infrastructure hub.
He proposed that data centres be developed within a comprehensive energy ecosystem, considering the entire value chain from power distribution and uninterruptible power supply to cooling, automation, software, and monitoring. Koh concluded that aligning Malaysia's AI, energy transition, and skills agendas will bolster its position as a long-term digital infrastructure hub.