KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 22): Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com Inc company, announced a significant investment of US$6.2 billion (RM29.2 billion) in Malaysia through 2038 as part of its long-term commitment.

This investment accompanies the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region, providing developers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises in Malaysia greater options for running applications and serving end users from local AWS data centres.

The new AWS Region is projected to contribute approximately US$12.1 billion (RM57.3 billion) to Malaysia’s gross domestic product and will support over 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs annually through 2038.

"The launch of an AWS infrastructure region in Malaysia provides access to new and emerging technology for Malaysian entities and businesses of all sizes, boosting our country’s capabilities for digital innovation," said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz in a joint statement released on Wednesday.

Amazon Web Services vice president of infrastructure services Prasad Kalyanaraman: The new AWS Region in Malaysia enables organisations across Asia Pacific to unlock the full potential of the world’s most extensive and reliable cloud, helping customers deploy advanced applications with a broad set of AWS technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning).

"This milestone is a significant step towards fulfilling the vision of Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030 to build a highly skilled, innovative, prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable economy," he added.

AWS vice president of infrastructure services Prasad Kalyanaraman said, "The new AWS Region in Malaysia enables organisations across Asia Pacific to unlock the full potential of the world’s most extensive and reliable cloud, helping customers deploy advanced applications with a broad set of AWS technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning). Malaysia’s rapidly growing digital economy requires access to secure, resilient, and sustainable cloud infrastructure. With today’s launch, AWS is proud to support Malaysia’s digital transformation and help accelerate its role as a regional hub for AI."

With the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region, AWS now boasts 108 Availability Zones across 34 geographic regions, with plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six additional AWS Regions in Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Each AWS Region comprises multiple Availability Zones, designed to support business continuity while providing low latency and high availability.