Nine months after dropping its massive investment announcement for Malaysia — to the tune of RM25.5 billion (~USD6 billion) — Amazon Web Services (AWS) reaffirmed its commitment with the confirmation that its AWS Region cloud infrastructure will go live in 2024.
The rollout of this new cloud platform will play a pivotal role in advancing Malaysia’s digitalisation ambitions as it deploys the full AWS suite for local and regional operations.
Once it launches, the new AWS region will offer various cloud and data productivity options to developers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, enterprises, and government, education and non-profit organisations. With its data centres located in the heart of Southeast Asia, AWS solutions will not only operate seamlessly but also get round-the-clock support from experts with localised insights.
AWS confirmed that its all-new cloud infrastructure, which is a core aspect of its 15-year-long investment, will meet the continuously high demand for cloud services and drive forward new innovations within Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.
More importantly, this upcoming platform will offer Malaysian businesses and those who operate their regional presence from Malaysia the option to exercise their data storage preference or have been keen on exploring storing their data securely within the country. Beyond ensuring maximum adherence to data privacy laws and governances, it also promises lower latency and provides more streamlined solutions and services for local and regional businesses.
Next-gen innovations that are already trending or growing in demand, such as Generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI), machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and anything related to data management, will also be key focuses for the new AWS Region in Malaysia. “(One of the goals for) this new infrastructure is to nurture a vibrant community where start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), enterprises, and the public sector can collaborate, experiment, and thrive with access to the latest technologies,” AWS stated in its latest blogpost.
The upcoming launch of the new AWS Region is highly anticipated for many AWS partners and clients operating in Malaysia. This includes Pos Malaysia, Gentari, 123RF, Al Rajhi Bank. Bank Islam, Cancer Research Malaysia, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Maxis, and PETRONAS.
The multi-billion investment from AWS will be highly supportive of Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to grow its digital economy as well as enable and empower Malaysian businesses and those operating in this country to scale with this economic growth trend.
“Malaysian customers like 123RF, PETRONAS, Bank Islam, Principal Asset Management, Gentari, Maxis, and Carsome are already leveraging the world’s broadest and most adopted cloud technology to accelerate innovation, drive productivity, fuel economic growth in Malaysia and beyond. With the launch of our AWS Malaysia Region in 2024, we are excited to provide further stimulus to Malaysia in its journey to be a leader in digital technology across the region, and in the process build a better future for all Malaysians,” said Pete Murray, Country Manager, AWS Malaysia.