OpenAI Taps Firmus for Two Malaysia AI Data Centers as APAC Compute Race Accelerates

OpenAI has secured two planned AI data centers in Malaysia, joining a rapidly expanding infrastructure buildout in the Asia-Pacific region. The deal comes as part of a multi-year agreement with Firmus, a company backed by Nvidia, to reserve future computing capacity. While the exact scale and timing of the Malaysian facilities remain undisclosed, OpenAI's Vice President of Compute Strategy, Sachin Katti, emphasized that the Malaysian sites will help meet growing demand in the region and beyond.

Firmus currently operates two AI factories in Australia and Singapore, with five more under development. The two Malaysian data centers will utilize Nvidia's DSX AI Factory Platform and Nvidia's DSX AI systems, including the Nvidia DSX Vera Rubin NVL72 rack-scale systems. Malaysia's rapid infrastructure development is driven by heavy investment, with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority reporting RM95.8 billion ($23.6 billion) in approved data center and cloud projects in the first half of 2026, accounting for nearly 44% of the country's total approved investment.

The region's tight power, water, and cooling infrastructure, however, poses challenges. Despite Singapore's dominance in data center equity funding, Malaysia and Indonesia are gaining traction as regional infrastructure investments accelerate.