YTL, JLand Group Partner For New Gigawatt Data Centre Campus In Johor

Johor is emerging as Malaysia's potential AI and data centre hub, with numerous companies setting up operations in the state. Recently, YTL Power International Bhd announced a strategic collaboration with Malaysia's JLand Group for a new, gigawatt-scale data centre campus. This development is a result of a partnership between SIPP Power Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of YTL, and JLG Technopark Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of JLand Group.

The campus will be built on 145 acres of land in Sedenak Tech Park West within Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC). SIPP Power has the option to acquire up to an additional 400 acres, potentially increasing the campus to 545 acres. This new data centre will further bolster Johor's position as a prominent regional center for AI, cloud computing, and digital innovation.

The Sedenak campus will also complement YTL's existing Green Data Center Park in Kulai, with a planned capacity of 1.2GW. The Kulai park currently houses YTL's AI infrastructure, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA and known as the YTL AI Cloud. Launched in 2023, the YTL AI Cloud offers large-scale GPU-based accelerated computing, utilizing NVIDIA's GB200 NVL72 system.

The partnership between YTL Power and JLand Group began in 2023 and aims to address the growing demand for cloud computing, AI, and related services in the region. While the companies have not disclosed specific details about the project, they have stated that the development will contribute to skilled employment and wider economic activity.

However, there are concerns about potential impacts on the surrounding environment and communities, such as strain on local water supplies and high electricity consumption. Data centers are known to consume significant amounts of power, and the country's electricity demand from data centers is projected to rise to 73,274 gigawatt-hours by 2035.