KUALA LUMPUR: Equinix Inc has announced its market entry into Malaysia with plans to build a new International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre called JH1 in Johor.
With an initial investment of US$40 million, JH1 is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, providing 500 cabinets and 1,960 square metres of colocation space.
The world-class IBX data centre will support Malaysian companies and multinationals doing business in Malaysia with access to Platform Equinix to bring together and interconnect the foundational digital infrastructure that powers their success.
According to Equinix, its expansion in Malaysia would unlock opportunities for local businesses to expand internationally and for multinational corporations to pursue growth and innovation in the domestic market.
Malaysian companies will benefit from the ability to accelerate their evolution from traditional to digital businesses by rapidly scaling their infrastructure, easily adopting hybrid multi cloud architectures and interconnecting with strategic business partners.
"Equinix's expansion in Malaysia is in line with the MyDigital initiative launched by the government, which aims to provide a blueprint for the country to accelerate growth of digital products and services," it said.
Equinix Asia Pacific president Jeremy Deutsch said the expansion marked the company's second foray into Asean.
Deutsch said this followed the recently-announced plans to expand into Indonesia, allowing the company to address digital infrastructure demand critical to the region's digital growth.
"Establishing a presence in Johor strengthens Equinix's leadership position in Asia-Pacific within a strategic market such as Malaysia, one of the most requested markets in Asia Pacific by our global customers.
"I would like to express our gratitude to the Digital Investment Office, Invest Johor, and Tenaga Nasional Bhd for their assistance and support," he said.