US firm wants to help Asean move from being consumer of global technology to producer of global innovation
PETALING JAYA: The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Asean is accelerating at “an unprecedented pace”, creating a surge in demand for digital infrastructure across the region.
Equinix Asia-Pacific president Cyrus Adaggra said growth projections show the Asia-Pacific AI market reaching US$177 billion (RM742 billion) by 2033, up from US$30-40 billion in 2024.
“Malaysia, in particular, has emerged as a data centre hotspot, with over 507MW of operational capacity today and a projected jump to nearly 2GW by 2030.
“Colocation revenue is forecast to exceed US$1.8 billion by the end of the decade, underscoring how rapidly enterprises are upgrading infrastructure to support AI-heavy workloads,“ he told SunBiz.
He said enterprises are increasingly shifting from centralised computing to distributed AI architectures, where processing power is located closer to where data is generated – hospitals, factories, ports or city streets – to reduce latency and meet compliance requirements.
“This is precisely where Equinix plays a crucial role. Our carrier-neutral, AI-ready data centres across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and, soon, Thailand act as digital airports, enabling enterprises, clouds and partners to interconnect securely, reliably and at speed.
“Combined with our 270-plus data centres worldwide, each designed with AI-readiness and sustainability in mind, Asean enterprises can stay compliant locally, scale globally and innovate responsibly,” Adaggra said.
On Malaysia’s positioning as a regional AI hub, Adaggra said Asean as a whole is poised to become one of the world’s most dynamic digital economies, projected to reach US$600 billion in value by 2030. “Reaching that goal requires an underlying digital infrastructure that is consistent, scalable, and interconnected across borders, and that is what Equinix is building.”
Adaggra said Equinix’s expansions in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and, soon, Bangkok are giving enterprises seamless access to deploy workloads across multiple metros while connecting directly to global cloud providers and partners.
“Our mission is simple: to help Asean move from being a consumer of global technology to a producer of global innovation. Every new build we make is a long-term investment in this region’s ability to create, collaborate and compete on the world stage,” he added.
Global supply chain shifts and rising tariffs are also prompting enterprises to rethink their digital strategies.
“Today’s supply chains run on data as much as they run on goods,” Adaggra observed. “Enterprises are increasingly looking for digital control towers that give them real-time visibility and the ability to make faster decisions.”
Equinix, he said, enables this through globally consistent, carrier-neutral data centres, combined with Equinix Fabric, which provides direct, secure virtual connections to multiple clouds, networks, and partners.
“With tariffs and geopolitical dynamics reshaping trade patterns, as well as stricter data sovereignty regulations, many enterprises are localising workloads, distributing them across multiple metros, and adopting hybrid multicloud strategies.
“Equinix makes this seamless, enabling customers to shift workloads on demand, connect with multiple cloud providers, and scale operations wherever needed.”
Adaggra emphasised that data sovereignty is now a strategic imperative.
“Governments across Asean are tightening rules around where data must reside, how it can move, and who can access it,” he said.
“Equinix helps organisations address this challenge by offering distributed infrastructure that allows sensitive workloads to stay physically within the country, while still interconnecting securely with global clouds and partners.
“We also support federated AI strategies, which train models locally and share only model parameters, not raw data, across regions. This allows enterprises to innovate with AI while complying with local regulations.”
Beyond connectivity, Equinix is investing heavily in AI-ready infrastructure to help businesses scale workloads efficiently.
“AI workloads are becoming distributed by design,” Adaggra said.
“Training, inference, and data processing are no longer confined to a single cloud region. They need to happen closer to where data is created to cut latency, protect privacy, and meet sovereignty requirements.”
Equinix facilities, he explained, are built with high-density power, advanced cooling, and on-demand interconnection to enable enterprises to scale graphic-processing unit clusters and storage elastically as workloads grow.
“This approach delivers faster insights, reduces total cost of ownership, and supports compliance with both data regulations and climate goals.”
Looking ahead, Adaggra sees the next wave of Asean’s digital economy being driven by AI everywhere, from real-time fraud detection and telemedicine to smart city traffic management and precision manufacturing.
“These use cases require infrastructure that is closer to the end user, faster and far more energy efficient,” he said.
“Equinix is expanding AI-ready data centres across Asean, embedding liquid cooling and renewable energy into every new build, and enabling enterprises to deploy hybrid, multi-metro architectures at scale.”
He added that Equinix’s neutral platform, with its vast network of global and regional AI providers, makes it a “magnet” for enterprises.
“Our mission is to make innovation easy, giving businesses the ability to build once, deploy anywhere, and connect with anyone, all while staying secure, sustainable and compliant.
