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Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), has officially launched its AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region, marking a significant milestone in Malaysia's digital landscape. This new infrastructure region, announced on 21 August 2024, offers enhanced capabilities for developers, startups, enterprises, government bodies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations to run their applications and serve end-users directly from Malaysian data centers.
AWS's Long-Term Commitment to Malaysia
As part of its ongoing commitment to the region, AWS plans to invest over $6.2 billion (approximately MYR 29.2 billion) in Malaysia through 2038. This substantial investment is expected to contribute approximately $12.1 billion (MYR 57.3 billion) to Malaysia's GDP and support over 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs annually. These roles span various sectors, including construction, facility maintenance, engineering, and telecommunications, all within AWS's supply chain in Malaysia.
Driving Malaysia's Digital Innovation
Tengku Zafrul, Minister of Investment Trade & Industry (MITI), emphasized the importance of this new AWS infrastructure region: "The launch of an AWS region in Malaysia represents a significant step forward in our efforts to boost digital innovation and meet the demands of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030. It underscores Malaysia's growing capabilities in digitalization, cloud computing, and AI, helping to establish the country as a competitive player on the global stage."
AWS's Long-Term Commitment to Malaysia
As part of its ongoing commitment to the region, AWS plans to invest over $6.2 billion (approximately MYR 29.2 billion) in Malaysia through 2038. This substantial investment is expected to contribute approximately $12.1 billion (MYR 57.3 billion) to Malaysia's GDP and support over 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs annually. These roles span various sectors, including construction, facility maintenance, engineering, and telecommunications, all within AWS's supply chain in Malaysia.
Driving Malaysia's Digital Innovation
Tengku Zafrul, Minister of Investment Trade & Industry (MITI), emphasized the importance of this new AWS infrastructure region: "The launch of an AWS region in Malaysia represents a significant step forward in our efforts to boost digital innovation and meet the demands of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030. It underscores Malaysia's growing capabilities in digitalization, cloud computing, and AI, helping to establish the country as a competitive player on the global stage."
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| Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services, AWS |
Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the region's role in supporting Malaysia's digital economy: "The AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region empowers organizations across Asia Pacific to leverage the world's most reliable cloud infrastructure, helping them deploy advanced applications using cutting-edge technologies like AI and ML. We are proud to support Malaysia's digital transformation and help accelerate its emergence as a regional hub for AI."
Expanding AWS's Global Footprint
The AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region is part of AWS's global expansion, which now includes 108 Availability Zones across 34 regions. AWS has announced plans to launch 18 additional Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. The new Malaysia region consists of three Availability Zones, designed to provide high availability and low latency for applications requiring robust business continuity solutions.
Broad Portfolio of AWS Services
Customers in Malaysia and across Asia Pacific will benefit from AWS's extensive range of services, including analytics, compute, databases, IoT, generative AI, ML, mobile services, storage, and more. This comprehensive service portfolio allows organizations of all sizes to innovate, meet data residency requirements, and achieve lower latency, driving demand for cloud services in the region.
Malaysian Enterprises and Public Sector on AWS
Many prominent Malaysian organizations are already leveraging AWS to drive innovation and efficiency. Notable customers include Bursa Malaysia, CelcomDigi, GX Bank Berhad, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). These organizations are using AWS to transform their operations, enhance customer experiences, and support Malaysia's transition to a lower carbon economy.
Bursa Malaysia has recently launched the Centralized Sustainability Intelligence (CSI) platform on AWS to support Malaysia’s carbon transition. CelcomDigi is utilizing AWS's AI services to drive innovation across its consumer and corporate businesses. PETRONAS relies on AWS for digital transformation initiatives across its global operations. RTM, the national public broadcaster, is leveraging AWS's generative AI services to enhance its digital media delivery platform, RTMKlik.
Empowering Malaysia's Workforce
AWS's commitment to Malaysia extends beyond infrastructure. Since 2017, AWS Malaysia has trained over 100,000 individuals in cloud skills through initiatives like the AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance and AWS Academy. AWS Academy offers a ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum to 49 universities across Malaysia, preparing students for AWS Certifications and cloud jobs.
In 2024, AWS and PayNet launched Program AKAR, a cloud skills initiative aimed at bridging Malaysia’s digital skills gap. This program equips university students with essential skills for careers in financial services, with opportunities for internships within PayNet’s network.
Sustainability Initiatives
Amazon is dedicated to sustainability, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement. AWS's infrastructure is designed to be highly energy-efficient, with innovations in data center design, purpose-built chips, and new cooling technologies. A report by Accenture estimates that AWS’s infrastructure is up to 4.1 times more efficient than traditional on-premises data centers, reducing carbon footprints by up to 99% when optimized on AWS.
The new AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region aligns with these sustainability efforts, offering Malaysian customers the benefits of AWS’s commitment to renewable energy and water-positive operations by 2030.
