AirTrunk, an Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) hyperscale data centre specialist, has announced plans to develop its second cloud and AI-ready data centre in Malaysia.
Named AirTrunk JHB2, scalable to over 270 megawatts (MW, )and located in Iskandar Puteri in the Johor region in the south of the Malay Peninsula, the new data centre will support demand from global public cloud and technology companies in the region.
Strategically located in a major availability zone, JHB2 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 Johor-Singapore special economic zone (JS-SEZ).
Like its predecessor JHB1, the new data centre 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. AirTrunk says JHB2 is designed to meet the highest standards of efficiency and security, with a low design PUE (power usage effectiveness) 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 its campuses’ operations.
AirTrunk says it is creating jobs for Malaysians, with above-market-rate remuneration for AirTrunk employees, 90% local employees and career development opportunities. It is also contributing to digital literacy programmes and funding STEM education scholarships.
AirTrunk says it is working with the leading Malaysian utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to connect JHB2 throughTNB’sGreen Lane Pathway for Data Centresinitiative, 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 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.
This announcement follows the opening of AirTrunk’s first data centre in Johor, 150+MW AirTrunk JHB1, in July 2024. Across its two operations, AirTrunk says it is investing over MYR9.7 billion (about US$2.2 billion) in Malaysia, providing more than 420MW of IT load.