GEORGE TOWN: Penang continued to cement its status as a global business and technology hub with the official launch of “GBS By The Sea”, a landmark RM296 million development located in Technoplex Bayan Lepas.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow hailed the project as a bold statement and a clear example of Penang’s transition into a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.
He said GBS By The Sea is the fourth project under the global business services (GBS) initiative, spanning 290,000 square feet (sq ft) of space.
“The GBS By The Sea facility is already fully occupied, with three global industry leaders, namely Advanced Micro Devices Global Services (AMD), Celestica Platform and Cloud Solutions Malaysia and the Microsoft Knowledge Capital Centre.
“These global companies are not only investing in Penang, but they are also creating over 1,000 quality jobs for our local talent in areas like research and development (R&D), engineering, digital services and more. These are the kind of high-value, future-ready jobs that we want for Penangites,” he said during the GBS By The Sea launching ceremony in Bayan Lepas today.
Also present at the ceremony were State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP) Mayor Datuk A Rajendran and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) chief executive officer Datuk Aziz Bakar.
Chow elaborated that the facility is not just a workplace but also equipped with a gym, cafeteria and a six-storey car park with 800 bays.
He emphasised that GBS would play a vital role in Penang’s next chapter, moving from being a manufacturing hub to becoming a knowledge-based and tech-forward economy.
“Projects like GBS By The Sea help us make that transition not just in words, but in real ways that matter to businesses and workers.
“With the announcement of 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which puts a strong focus on the transition to ‘Made by Malaysia’ and aims for higher growth and higher value creation, GBS By The Sea fits perfectly into this big picture - it’s local, it’s future-focused, and it brings value,” he said.
Chow also announced that PDC is already working on its fifth GBS project, namely “GBS at Technoplex”, a RM500 million development offering over 400,000 sqft of space.
He said that even though construction has not been completed, 16 per cent of the building has already been pre-booked by tenants, reflecting strong demand and high confidence in Penang’s potential. - Bernama
