Vantage breaks ground on Cyberjaya campus

Author: Simon Rowley

Vantage Data Centers, a global provider of hyperscale data centre campuses, has broken ground on its second Cyberjaya campus (KUL2) in Malaysia.

Set on 35 acres of land adjacent to Vantage’s existing campus (KUL1), KUL2 will deliver 256MW of IT capacity at full build-out to support cloud adoption and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). The campus has its own dedicated substation, providing customers unrivalled expansion flexibility and speed.

This significant milestone was celebrated today with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Malaysian government agencies and local partners, including:

Raymond Tong, President of Vantage’s APAC business, comments, “Today marks a significant milestone for Vantage APAC. Our KUL2 development strengthens our market-leading position in Malaysia while contributing to the nation’s digital economy. We are grateful for the tremendous support and assistance from various government agencies and local partners in empowering our continued growth journey in Malaysia.”

Following last year’s announcement to invest an additional planned $3 billion (£2.36bn) into Malaysia, Vantage executed an agreement with Cyberview, the tech hub developer of Cyberjaya, to secure land to build the largest hyperscale data centre campus in the city. The multi-facility campus, designed to support both cloud and high-density computing deployments, will offer customers the flexibility to address evolving market and technical needs. Combined with KUL1, Vantage will have 287MW of IT capacity in Malaysia once both campuses are fully developed.

YB Senator, Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), remarks, “We warmly welcome Vantage Data Centers’ plan to build an AI-ready data centre at its KUL2 campus; a strategic move that will not only support Malaysia’s AI aspirations, but also drive economic growth, create new job opportunities, and propel the country’s digital transformation forward.

“As the ‘heart, lungs and nerve cells’ of the digital revolution, data centres facilitate the start or expansion of general economic activity. Together with cloud technology and network infrastructure, data centres make up the internet backbone underpinning digitalisation as we know it today. This has, among others, enabled small businesses to thrive, while closing the global socio-economic gap. Malaysia has the edge to facilitate more data centres, particularly AI-focused data centres that could also support Malaysia’s aim to create 3,000 smart factories by 2030. All these will help Malaysia position itself as a leading regional hub for AI-enabled manufacturing.”

YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, remarked ” Malaysia is wholly committed to accelerating its digitalisation agenda and positioning itself as a leader in the digital economy, particularly in Southeast Asia, as the nation assumes the ASEAN chair next year. Robust and reliable digital infrastructure is recognized as a crucial component in this endeavour. A strong digital infrastructure, which supports data storage and global connectivity, will be a key enabler in economic growth and innovation.”

Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA, notes, “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Vantage’s decision to significantly expand its data centre capacity in Malaysia. This is a major win for our country’s digital infrastructure ecosystem, and it’s a testament to the robust demand for high-quality data centre services in the region. I’m proud to say that as a partner, we’ve been working closely with Vantage to ensure that its investment is a success. We’ve provided them with comprehensive facilitation and support, and we’re confident that it will be able to leverage Malaysia’s unique strengths to achieve regional and global excellence.”

Kamarul Ariffin Abdul Samad, Chief Executive Officer, Cyberview, adds, “With the expansion of Vantage Data Centers in Cyberjaya, we mark a significant milestone that underscores Cyberjaya’s standing as a premier destination for hyperscale data centre providers. This development not only reinforces the city’s strategic importance but also reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and technological advancement for Malaysia. By aligning with the government’s vision to propel the digital economy forward, we are demonstrating our dedication to creating a dynamic and supportive future-ready digital ecosystem in Cyberjaya.”

In addition, Vantage has signed an Electricity Supply Agreement (ESA) with TNB, Malaysia’s leading electricity company, for 500MVA-rated power capacity via a dedicated 275kV high-voltage substation for KUL2.

“Under TNB’s Green Lane Pathway initiative, we have streamlined the process of powering data centres by bringing together all requirements for grid connectivity to be handled through our One-Stop-Centre (OSC),” says Kamal Arifin A. Rahman, Chief Retail Officer of TNB. “The accelerated delivery time for the project is a manifestation of TNB’s customer-centricity. It also signifies TNB’s commitment to facilitate and hasten the process of powering data centres.”

Rahman emphasised that apart from powering at speed, TNB’s grid infrastructure is capable of delivering reliable, stable and secure power at scale with the ability to supply renewable energy sources for the growing number of data centres in Malaysia. “Given TNB’s key focus is to accelerate energy transition and address climate change, our support for data centres will help reduce carbon footprints, thus supporting Malaysia’s sustainability goals and economic growth.”

Vantage’s APAC portfolio includes 452MW of operational and planned IT capacity across five markets: Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan.

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