Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) hyperscale data center specialist AirTrunk has announced plans to develop its second cloud and artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data center in Malaysia, named AirTrunk JHB2 (JHB2) located in Iskandar Puteri, Johor region.

Scalable to over 270 megawatts (MW), JHB2 will support demand from global public cloud and technology companies in the region, AirTrunk said in a statement on Wednesday.

This announcement follows the opening of AirTrunk’s first data centre in Johor, 150+MW AirTrunk JHB1, in July 2024.

Combined, AirTrunk is investing over MYR 9.7 billion ($2.17 billion) in Malaysia, providing more than 420MW of IT load.

JHB2, strategically located in a major availability zone, provides an end-to-end cross border connectivity strategy for customers and the ability to scale their operations to match demand.

The additional capacity will support Malaysia’s fast-growing digital economy and follows the establishment of the landmark Johor-Singapore special economic zone (JS-SEZ).

Like JHB1, the new data center will feature AirTrunk’s state-of-the-art liquid cooling technology for managing the high-density demands of AI and will ensure significant energy savings.

JHB2 is designed to meet the highest standards of efficiency and security, with a low design power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 and multiple renewable energy options available to customers.

To support Johor State Government’s aim to diversify water sources, AirTrunk is scoping treated greywater as a recycled sustainable water supply for our campuses’ operations.

Aligned with the Malaysian Government’s focus on National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and increasing opportunities for highly skilled workers, AirTrunk said the firm is creating jobs for Malaysians, with above market rate remuneration for AirTrunk employees with 90 percent local employees and career development opportunities.

AirTrunk is also contributing to digital literacy programs and funding STEM education scholarships at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to further support the local community over the long term.

Advancing towards its Net Zero 2030 target, AirTrunk recently announced one of the largest onsite solar deployments for a data center in Southeast Asia at JHB1, as well as the first renewable energy virtual power purchase agreement for a data center for 30MW of renewable
energy, under Malaysia’s Corporate Green Power Program.

AirTrunk is working with Malaysian utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to connect JHB2 through TNB’s Green Lane Pathway for Data Centers initiative, streamlining
high-voltage electricity supply to an accelerated timeframe of 12 months.

AirTrunk is also providing land for TNB to build a new substation, adding resilience to the electricity distribution system in the area.

This continuing collaboration, which started from an memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2023, opens the door for AirTrunk to explore green solutions with TNB in efforts to advance the energy transition in the region.

“As Malaysia establishes itself as a digital powerhouse, it is a privilege for AirTrunk to contribute to this growth over the long term and deliver shared benefit for the people of Malaysia,

“AirTrunk’s data centers serve as essential infrastructure that will help boost productivity and enable new products and services that can drive economic growth,” AirTrunk Founder and Chief Executive Officer Robin Khuda said.

“We are committed to helping realize the potential of cloud and AI in Malaysia and prioritizing circularity for the benefit of society and the environment,

“AirTrunk is supporting local digital literacy and STEM initiatives, driving the energy transition and working to embed a sustainable water supply to make a positive impact,” he added.

AirTrunk Country Head of Malaysia Pei Jet Lim said AirTrunk’s new JHB2 data center campus confirms the importance of Malaysia to AirTrunk.

“Combining long-term investment with high value local employment, training and social impact initiatives is central to our approach,

“As with JHB1, we have also continued to pioneer sustainable practices with JHB2, in line with our commitment to achieving net zero by 2030,” she added.

Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi said ensuring high value employment and training opportunities, like those offered by AirTrunk, alongside the economic contribution of digital infrastructure also ensures a positive legacy for Johor.

He opined that this will surely help in achieving the vision of Maju Johor by 2030.

JHB2 is AirTrunk’s 12th data center across five APJ markets – Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore – and adds to its hyperscale data center platform which now offers
nearly 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of total capacity.

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