SoftBank's Son Has Picked Malaysia Sites for $50 Billion Tech Push, Anwar Says

Malaysia's prime minister says SoftBank is coming with $50 billion. SoftBank has not said so itself.

Anwar Ibrahim told a crowd in Melaka on Saturday, Oct. 24, that Masayoshi Son had picked locations for the investment during a video conference between the two on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

"He said he had chosen Sarawak, Kuching, and Peninsular Malaysia to expand investment in what would be among the largest investments in the region, worth $50 billion," Anwar said. "In what areas? Artificial intelligence, new technology and data centers."

SoftBank representatives did not respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours.

What is on paper and what is not

The $50 billion is a headline number for a program, not a confirmed SoftBank check. The Nikkei reported that only part of the total is expected to come from SoftBank's balance sheet, with project finance and other funding structures likely to cover the rest.

The only signed document is smaller. On Oct. 8, SoftBank said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore-based Grab and Malaysian energy firm Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) to explore AI infrastructure in Sarawak.

That agreement covers AI computing capacity, robotics and training local talent. SoftBank's role is expertise in financing and infrastructure design. It is a framework to study, not a construction contract.

No binding agreement or timetable has been released by either side, and no site-by-site budget or breakdown between data centers and other projects has been published.

Son's global build-out

Malaysia would be another entry on a long list. SoftBank is working on a $500 billion data center-focused project in Ohio, which is among the largest in the world. It is also pursuing a project in France that could cost as much as €75 billion ($84 billion).

At home, SoftBank's telecom unit is building data centers in Hokkaido and in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.

Southeast Asia is the next target. Anwar called the Malaysian plan potentially one of the largest investments the region has seen.

A crowded field

SoftBank would not be arriving first. Google announced $2 billion in 2024 to build its first data center and cloud region in Malaysia. Amazon Web Services said it plans to invest $6.2 billion through 2038. Microsoft announced $2.2 billion for cloud and AI infrastructure and other digital initiatives.

Alibaba Cloud opened two data centers in Johor in June, bringing its Malaysian total to five.

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority put data-center-related investment at 385.7 billion ringgit ($94 billion) from 2021 through the first half of 2026.

What Putrajaya wants out of it

Anwar framed the plan around jobs. He said a Malaysian investment would create new and better opportunities, particularly for younger workers.

He also made a pitch about stability. Malaysia's ability to attract investment depends on confidence in the government and political stability, he said, contrasting the country with others in the region.

The government has set a goal of making Malaysia an "AI nation" by 2030 and launched a national AI action plan earlier this year. Anwar said the country needs to strengthen its AI, digitalization and semiconductor capabilities, plus workforce skills, to move from back-end technology work into front-end segments.

The government is seeking to wring more economic value from the data center boom, pushing operators to support local suppliers and using the infrastructure to spur AI adoption, homegrown innovation and higher-skilled jobs.

What to watch

The open question is conversion. Anwar's account of a verbal commitment on a video call is the basis for the $50 billion figure, and SoftBank has yet to put its own numbers or schedule behind it.

The next marker would be a binding agreement that moves past the Oct. 8 study phase, with named sites in Kuching and Peninsular Malaysia, a funding structure and the share SoftBank itself will put up.