Kuala lumpur: The Nvidia Corporation-YTL Power International Bhd partnership’s notable progress in constructing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is driving Malaysia’s AI ambitions forward, benefiting all Malaysians, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar commended the companies for reaching a critical milestone within 22 months.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia aims to emerge as a leading AI nation by 2030, utilizing AI to enhance productivity, improve public services, and establish a sustainable, inclusive, and ethical digital economy. Anwar emphasized the importance of developing Malaysia’s sovereign AI to create a secure and trusted AI-enabled digital ecosystem. This statement followed his meeting with Nvidia Corp founder and CEO Jensen Huang and YTL Power managing director Datuk Seri Yeoh Seok Hong, held during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz was also present. This marks Anwar’s second meeting with the industry-described ‘newest tech megastar,’ following a previous encounter in Putrajaya in 2023. Among the significant achievements is the successful completion of YTL Power’s state-of-the-art AI data centre facility, developed with Nvidia at the 600MW YTL Green Data Centre Park in Kulai, Johor. The facility, powered by liquid-cooled NVL72 Grace Blackwell (GB 200) GPUs, alongside Ilmu, represents a significant step towards establishing Malaysia’s sovereign AI.
Last July, both companies initiated the development of AI infrastructure powered by green energy in Malaysia, supported by a RM10 billion investment. Malaysia has made substantial progress in its quest to become an AI Nation, launching the National AI Office under the Digital Ministry in December and announcing initiatives to drive AI adoption, including developing a sovereign AI cloud and programs for AI upskilling across public and private sectors. The country also introduced Ilmu, its first large language model, at the ASEAN AI Summit in August.
Tengku Zafrul stated that the government has allocated RM5.9 billion in the 2026 budget to strengthen the AI sector. This investment underscores Malaysia’s commitment to becoming a premier regional hub for AI innovation and data centre excellence. The government plans to promote strategic investments in AI infrastructure, advancing digital transformation and aligning with the National Industrial Master Plan to accelerate AI integration in manufacturing and related services sectors.
In a separate statement, Yeoh emphasized the growing importance of sovereign clouds for hosting government and citizen-facing AI services. With the YTL AI Cloud operational and the launch of Ilmu, Malaysia is poised to be among the first in the region to leverage sovereign AI capabilities. Yeoh credited the government’s foresight in establishing policy frameworks that facilitated rapid AI infrastructure development across the nation.