Malaysia’s data centre sector is seemingly entering a new phase of expansion powered by AI adoption and hyperscale investments. We’re now being positioned as one of Asia’s most cost-competitive markets with a strong balance of affordability, policy stability and regional connectivity. 



Based on a new report from a global professional services company, Turner & Townsend, Kuala Lumpur was ranked 17th globally in data centre construction costs (at US$11.37 per watt). This puts KL among Asia’s most cost-competitive markets and well below regional peers like Singapore and Tokyo. 



But as competition intensifies across the region, what will truly set Malaysia apart in a market defined by scale, speed, and sustainability? To help us explore this, we speak with Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, Project Director at Turner & Townsend.

Malaysia’s data centre sector is seemingly entering a new phase of expansion powered by AI adoption and hyperscale investments. We’re now being positioned as one of Asia’s most cost-competitive markets with a strong balance of affordability, policy stability and regional connectivity.&nbsp;Based on a new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://reports.turnerandtownsend.com/data-centre-construction-cost-index-2025/#block-1a52e0e9-7f89-40a8-a5ca-3a648e20f565">report</a> from a global professional services company, Turner &amp; Townsend, Kuala Lumpur was ranked 17th globally in data centre construction costs (at US$11.37 per watt). This puts KL among Asia’s most cost-competitive markets and well below regional peers like Singapore and Tokyo.&nbsp;But as competition intensifies across the region, what will truly set Malaysia apart in a market defined by scale, speed, and sustainability? To help us explore this, we speak with Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, Project Director at Turner &amp; Townsend.

Helping you navigate the ever-changing universe of business, from headlines to the bottom line

Helping you navigate the ever-changing universe of business, from headlines to the bottom line

Enterprise Explores

Why Malaysia is Winning the Data Centre Race

When we talk about Malaysian tech, we often talk about data centers and infrastructure. But are we actually building anything? Two weeks ago, over 600 developers, students, and founders answered that question at the Cursor x Anthropic Hackathon Malaysia.



Kong Ka Weng and Faw Ali join us to break down how a small community meetup exploded into one of the region's largest AI coding marathons. They explain the phenomenon of "Vibe Coding", where non-technical founders use AI to build production-ready apps, and why the rise of AI agents is allowing solo founders to skip the traditional seed stage.



We also dive into the tech stack that made this possible, exploring how "agentic" IDEs like Cursor allow developers to go from idea to MVP in hours, not months.



We discuss:


The Grassroots Explosion: Scaling from a 30-person meetup to 1,800 signups in weeks.


The Tech: How AI Agents (like Claude) read files, edit code, and visualise UI changes autonomously.


The Projects: From "Waze for Sailors" to a retro fighting game based on social media profiles.


The Venture Track: Partnering with 500 Global to fast-track hackathon projects into investable startups.

The Talent: Addressing Malaysia's brain drain and the influx of regional builders.

When we talk about Malaysian tech, we often talk about data centers and infrastructure. But are we actually building anything? Two weeks ago, over 600 developers, students, and founders answered that question at the Cursor x Anthropic Hackathon Malaysia.Kong Ka Weng and Faw Ali join us to break down how a small community meetup exploded into one of the region's largest AI coding marathons. They explain the phenomenon of "Vibe Coding", where non-technical founders use AI to build production-ready apps, and why the rise of AI agents is allowing solo founders to skip the traditional seed stage.We also dive into the tech stack that made this possible, exploring how "agentic" IDEs like Cursor allow developers to go from idea to MVP in hours, not months.We discuss:<ul><li>The Grassroots Explosion: Scaling from a 30-person meetup to 1,800 signups in weeks.</li><li>The Tech: How AI Agents (like Claude) read files, edit code, and visualise UI changes autonomously.</li><li>The Projects: From "Waze for Sailors" to a retro fighting game based on social media profiles.</li><li>The Venture Track: Partnering with 500 Global to fast-track hackathon projects into investable startups.</li></ul>The Talent: Addressing Malaysia's brain drain and the influx of regional builders.

Waze for Ships? What 600+ Vibe Coders Made in 24h

A recent analysis of 4.6 million global conversations reveals a fracture in the climate narrative. While emerging markets like Brazil and Indonesia are surging with optimism driven by tangible infrastructure delivery, the US and UK are mired in skepticism, policy reversals, and fatigue.



Dan La Russo, Senior Partner at Penta, joins us to unpack the massive shift from the era of "Climate Commitments", where ambitious targets were enough, to the era of "Climate Credibility," where stakeholders demand proof.



We discuss why consumers have become the most skeptical stakeholder group and how companies can bridge the trust gap by reframing sustainability through the lens of affordability and daily life rather than abstract long-term goals.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

A recent analysis of 4.6 million global conversations reveals a fracture in the climate narrative. While emerging markets like Brazil and Indonesia are surging with optimism driven by tangible infrastructure delivery, the US and UK are mired in skepticism, policy reversals, and fatigue.Dan La Russo, Senior Partner at Penta, joins us to unpack the massive shift from the era of "Climate Commitments", where ambitious targets were enough, to the era of "Climate Credibility," where stakeholders demand proof.We discuss why consumers have become the most skeptical stakeholder group and how companies can bridge the trust gap by reframing sustainability through the lens of affordability and daily life rather than abstract long-term goals.Image Credit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/deforested-forests-peruvian-amazon-agriculture-2551278361?trackingId=70c079e7-fb08-4b26-bbfb-eac916cfea8a">Shutterstock</a>

Proof Over Pledges: Inside The Climate Sentiment Fracture

General Managers must own AI, not CIOs or CTOs.A new report from Bain & Company reveals a sharp divide: while most companies are stuck in "pilot purgatory," a small group of AI leaders are securing 10–25% gains in EBITDA. The difference isn't the software, it's the strategy.



Shazrul Asari and Dhruva Murugasu, Partners at Bain & Company, join us to explain why scaling AI requires a fundamental business transformation rather than just "sprinkling AI on top" (like adding extra sambal to Nasi Lemak). We explore why plugging AI into old workflows is like driving a supercar in a traffic jam, and why the rise of "Agentic AI" demands a total rethink of the organisational chart.



We discuss:


The Divide: Why leaders achieve scale while others get stuck in sheltered pilots.


Workflow Redesign: Why you must decommission old processes, not just layer AI on top.


Agentic AI: The structural shift from "digital helpers" to "digital workers" that act autonomously.


The Talent Trap: How to prevent the "hollowing out" of junior roles via augmented apprenticeships.


CEO Advice: Why momentum matters more than perfection in the race to scale.

General Managers must own AI, not CIOs or CTOs. A new report from Bain &amp; Company reveals a sharp divide: while most companies are stuck in "pilot purgatory," a small group of AI leaders are securing 10–25% gains in EBITDA. The difference isn't the software, it's the strategy.Shazrul Asari and Dhruva Murugasu, Partners at Bain &amp; Company, join us to explain why scaling AI requires a fundamental business transformation rather than just "sprinkling AI on top" (like adding extra sambal to Nasi Lemak). We explore why plugging AI into old workflows is like driving a supercar in a traffic jam, and why the rise of "Agentic AI" demands a total rethink of the organisational chart.We discuss:<ul><li>The Divide: Why leaders achieve scale while others get stuck in sheltered pilots.</li><li>Workflow Redesign: Why you must decommission old processes, not just layer AI on top.</li><li>Agentic AI: The structural shift from "digital helpers" to "digital workers" that act autonomously.</li><li>The Talent Trap: How to prevent the "hollowing out" of junior roles via augmented apprenticeships.</li><li>CEO Advice: Why momentum matters more than perfection in the race to scale.</li></ul>

Why Malaysia is Winning the Data Centre Race

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