SoftBank Group is discussing a $50 billion investment in Malaysian AI and data centres, Nikkei Asia reported. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on 25 October that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son had selected Malaysian locations for the plan, GuruFocus reported.
Key points
- SoftBank is discussing a $50 billion Malaysian plan focused on AI and data centres.
- Anwar identified sites in Sarawak, including Kuching, and on the Malay Peninsula.
- Anwar described the plan as one of Malaysia’s largest single investment commitments in recent memory.
Son selects sites in Sarawak and the peninsula
Anwar told reporters that he had spoken with Son by videoconference earlier in the week, Startup Fortune reported. The publication dated his remarks about the sites to Saturday, 24 October. It identified Sarawak, its capital Kuching and locations on the Malay Peninsula as Son’s choices for the proposed investment.
Anwar described the plan as one of Malaysia’s largest single investment commitments in recent memory. His account puts data centres and AI infrastructure at the centre of the project, alongside other technology investment. The locations span both sides of Malaysia: Sarawak and Kuching are on Borneo, while the other sites are on the Malay Peninsula.
Sarawak pact preceded the $50 billion plan
SoftBank had already joined Grab and Petros in a pact to explore an AI platform in Sarawak, AI Affairs reported. That framework agreement concerned exploration. Anwar’s account places a much larger investment figure and selected locations beside SoftBank’s earlier interest in the state.
Sarawak has sought data centre investment partly on the strength of hydropower from the Bakun and Murum dams. Its proposed role in the SoftBank plan extends beyond a single city: Anwar named both Sarawak and Kuching when describing Son’s site choices.
Nikkei Asia reported that the Malaysian discussions follow SoftBank’s AI infrastructure investments in the United States and Europe. The Malaysian plan would add an Asian location to that expansion. Its stated focus on data centres also makes access to sites and electricity relevant to how much of the proposed investment can be put to use.
SoftBank’s $41 billion OpenAI commitment
SoftBank completed a $41 billion commitment to OpenAI earlier in 2026, giving it a stake of roughly 11%, Startup Fortune reported. The company is also the financial lead for Stargate, a $500 billion US data centre project aimed at 10 gigawatts of AI computing capacity. Those commitments place the proposed Malaysian spending alongside other large calls on SoftBank’s capital.
The financing conditions for AI infrastructure are part of the context for another large plan. CoreWeave ended the second quarter with roughly $52 billion in borrowings, more than three times its debt a year earlier, according to Startup Fortune. Its quarterly interest expense reached $640 million while it posted a $626 million loss. Those figures concern CoreWeave, rather than SoftBank, but set out the debt costs faced by a company building AI computing capacity.
SoftBank has also been in talks about investing up to $30 billion more in OpenAI.
