Malaysia Cloud & Datacenter Convention 2025

This panel will explore the landscape of data center infrastructure investments in Malaysia in 2025, focusing on the emerging opportunities, as well as the critical risks that investors and operators must navigate. Special attention will be given to the growing concerns over environmental challenges, such as water usage, and how these impact the sustainability and long-term viability of data centers.

Key Discussion Points:

•  Key growth areas for investors in data center infrastructure.
• Addressing the environmental concerns of water usage in data centers, particularly in water-scarce regions and the need for efficient cooling systems.
• The role of new technologies (AI, edge computing) in shaping future infrastructure needs.
• Opportunities for Malaysia to position itself as a regional data center hub in Southeast Asia.

As Malaysia’s cloud and data center industry rapidly expands, businesses face evolving legal, regulatory, and cybersecurity challenges. This keynote brings global expertise with local insights to help organizations navigate this complex environment.

Key Discussion Points

• Understanding Malaysia’s data protection laws (PDPA), digital infrastructure policies, and cross-border data flow restrictions.
• Legal frameworks for combating cyber threats, incident response obligations, and contractual safeguards for cloud providers.
• Aligning data center development with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations and green energy mandates.
• Anticipating legal shifts in AI governance, IoT, and emerging tech impacting data center operations.

As Malaysia rapidly emerges as a key data center hub in Southeast Asia, driven by increasing cloud adoption, AI expansion, and hyperscale demand, the shortage of skilled talent in data center operations and service delivery has become a critical bottleneck. This panel will examine the challenges and solutions for workforce development and technological adoption to ensure sustainable growth in Malaysia’s data center sector.

Key Discussion Points

• How the surge in hyperscale and colocation demand is straining the availability of local skilled professionals, from engineers to critical facility managers.
• The impact of workforce shortages on efficiency, uptime, and security—especially as Malaysia positions itself as a regional data center leader.
• Strategies for upskilling local talent through vocational training, university-industry partnerships, and certification programs.
• How smart DCIM, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven operations can mitigate reliance on scarce human expertise.
• The role of government and industry groups in creating policies, incentives, and training pipelines to future-proof Malaysia’s data center workforce.

This fireside chat will explore how the convergence of Generative AI (Gen AI), cloud computing, and data center infrastructure is reshaping industries and driving innovation. With cloud computing providing the scalability and flexibility needed for AI models, and data centers powering the infrastructure, this conversation will highlight the transformative potential of these technologies when they work in unison.

Key Discussion Points:

• Understanding how Gen AI and cloud computing are working together to power smarter data centers and more efficient IT operations.
• How the regulatory landscape is adapting to these new technologies and the responsibilities of organizations in ensuring ethical AI deployment.
• The role of AI in creating highly scalable, efficient, and responsive cloud solutions for businesses of all sizes.
• Predictions for how Gen AI, cloud computing, and data centers will evolve in the next 5-10 years and the impact on businesses and industries worldwide.

In an increasingly connected world, data centers face a growing number of cyber threats, ranging from sophisticated ransomware attacks to insider breaches. Ensuring that data centers are cyber resilient requires proactive measures to both prevent potential attacks and effectively respond when breaches occur. This discussion will delve into best practices and innovative strategies to build resilient data centers.

Key Discussion Points:

• Defining cyber resilience and its importance for the long-term security of data center operations.
• Implementing advanced security measures 
• Training staff and creating awareness to foster a proactive cybersecurity culture within data center operations.
• Exploring emerging technologies, trends, and techniques that will define the future of cyber resilience in data centers.

Edge computing is fundamentally altering the architecture of traditional data centers by pushing processing power closer to the edge of the network, nearer to the end-users and IoT devices. This transformation is enabling businesses to deliver faster, more responsive services while addressing challenges like latency, bandwidth, and real-time data processing. This panel will delve into how edge computing is revolutionizing data center architecture, the opportunities it presents, and the challenges that come with it.

Key Discussion Points:

• The key differences between traditional centralized data centers and edge computing data centers. 
• How edge computing supports the growing demand for real-time data processing, IoT devices, and smart cities.      
•  How data center operators can capitalize on the growing demand for edge computing services.                                            
•  What does the future hold for edge computing and its role in the broader digital transformation of data centers?

Much focus is placed upon the redundancy and resiliency we build into our data centres. With AI driving the adoption of liquid cooling have we realised we’ve now introduced a single point of failure … the fluid? Join bp Castrol as we share insights and look at the key considerations when deploying direct to chip and immersion cooling in data centre and edge facilities.

Malaysia is strategically positioned to become a regional connectivity hub, leveraging its geographical location, strong digital infrastructure, and government-driven initiatives. As the demand for reliable and high-speed connectivity grows across ASEAN and APAC, Malaysia stands out as a key player in data center growth and telecom network expansion. This transformation aligns with the country’s ambitions to drive digital economy growth, attract international investments, and establish itself as a leader in connectivity.

Key Discussion Points:

• Malaysia’s location in Southeast Asia makes it a prime hub for regional data exchange and subsea cable networks.
• Partnerships with global telecom players to improve network interconnectivity and bandwidth availability.
• Integration of AI, IoT, and automation to improve telecom network efficiency and optimize data center performance.
• Malaysia’s continued investment in infrastructure and digital policies positions it as a key regional hub for connectivity and technology advancements by 2025.

As digital transformation accelerates across ASEAN, data centers face competing demands – they must deliver higher performance for AI workloads while reducing environmental impact and maintaining robust security. This session explores the key technological and operational shifts required to meet these challenges.

Key Discussion Points

• How new cooling architectures, modular designs and renewable energy integration are redefining power usage effectiveness
• Managing exponential compute demands while leveraging AI for smarter infrastructure optimization
• Evolving threat landscapes and the infrastructure needed for data integrity
• How regional climate conditions and digital growth create distinct requirements for next-generation data centers

As the demand for cloud and data center services grows exponentially, so does the need for sustainable energy solutions to power this digital transformation. Leader Energy, a pioneer in renewable power assets—including solar, hydro, wind, battery storage, and high-voltage transmission infrastructure—is at the forefront of enabling a greener digital future. In this keynote, Leader Energy will explore how integrating renewable energy and smart grid technologies can help data centers achieve their sustainability goals while maintaining reliability and efficiency.

Key Discussion Points:

• How solar, wind, and energy storage solutions can reduce carbon footprints.
• Ensuring resilient and scalable power for cloud infrastructure.
• Leader Energy’s strategies and partnerships to support the tech industry’s sustainability ambitions.
• The future of energy-smart data centers – Leveraging AI and IoT for real-time energy optimization.

Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) is a critical metric for assessing water consumption in data centers, specifically focusing on cooling systems, which are a significant source of water use. As sustainability becomes a priority, data center operators must evaluate and optimize WUE to balance operational efficiency with environmental responsibility.

Key Discussion Points:

• Addresses growing concerns about water scarcity and resource sustainability in water-stressed regions.
• Complements metrics like Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to provide a holistic view of data center efficiency.
• Leading hyperscale data centers are achieving significant water savings through innovative designs and sustainable strategies.
• Incentives for adopting water-efficient technologies can drive change.

As sustainability becomes a core business principle, Malaysia’s data center industry is embracing green initiatives to reduce environmental impact, align with national carbon neutrality goals, and foster innovation. This panel will explore Malaysia’s roadmap for green data centers, focusing on government policies, industry incentives, and best practices for achieving sustainability in data center operations.

Key Discussion Points:

• What are the key government targets for sustainability, and how do data centers fit into these objectives?
• The introduction of regulations and standards aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of data centers.
• Predictions for the next 5-10 years in the Malaysian data center industry and the evolving role of sustainability.
• Long-term vision for achieving fully carbon-neutral data centers in Malaysia.