In one of the largest technology investment announcements of the year, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son has reportedly chosen locations in Malaysia for a staggering $50 billion in technology investments, focusing on artificial intelligence, new technologies, and data centers.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement on October 26, 2026, following a video conference with Son, confirming that the investment will target sites in Kuching, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. Earlier this month, SoftBank also signed a framework agreement with Singapore-based Grab and Malaysia’s Petroleum Sarawak Berhad to explore AI and digital infrastructure development in Sarawak.
The move is a major boost for Malaysia’s ambition to become an “AI nation” by 2030, backed by a national AI action plan launched earlier this year. The country has already attracted $94 billion in data center-related investments between 2021 and mid-2026, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority. SoftBank is also simultaneously pursuing a $500 billion data center project in Ohio and an $84 billion project in France, underlining the company’s aggressive global AI infrastructure strategy.
Source: CNBC – SoftBank reportedly plans $50 billion tech investment in aspiring ‘AI nation’ Malaysia