Malaysia says SoftBank’s Son picked sites for proposed $50 billion AI push

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has chosen sites for a proposed $50 billion investment in artificial intelligence, data centers and other technology projects. Anwar said the locations include Sarawak and its capital Kuching on Borneo, as well as Peninsular Malaysia. Picking sites is an early but consequential move: AI systems need vast clusters of specialized computers, and data centers are the expensive physical foundation that supplies them. The announcement signals that Malaysia is competing to host that infrastructure rather than just use AI services built elsewhere. But this remains a plan relayed by the prime minister, not a disclosed final agreement; funding, construction timetable and specific projects have yet to be set out publicly.