By Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Microsoft said on Thursday it would invest $2.2 billion over the next four years in Malaysia to expand its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services in the latest initiative of the company aimed at promoting its generative AI technology in Asia.
The investment, the largest in Microsoft’s 32-year history in Malaysia, will include building cloud and AI infrastructure, creating AI skills opportunities for 200,000 people and supporting developers in the country , the company said.
“We want to make sure that we have world-class infrastructure right here in the country so that every organization and start-up can benefit,” Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said during a visit to Kuala Lumpur.
Microsoft will also work with the Malaysian government to create a national AI center of excellence and strengthen the country’s cybersecurity capabilities, the company said in a statement.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who met Nadella on Thursday, said the investment supported Malaysia’s efforts to develop its AI capabilities.
Microsoft is trying to expand its support for AI development globally. Nadella this week announced a $1.7 billion investment in neighboring Indonesia and said Microsoft would open its first regional data center in Thailand.
(Reporting by Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff; editing by John Mair and William Mallard)
