KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has led Southeast Asia in data center development with an investment of 23.3 billion U.S. dollars in the sector, global property consultant Knight Frank said Monday.

It said in a statement that Malaysia has recorded a significant annual take-up of 429 megawatt (MW), outperforming regional peers in data center investment.

It noted the growth was driven by strategic investments from tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, and Oracle.

According to Knight Frank, Malaysia currently hosts 54 operational data centers with a 504.8 MW capacity, with Johor leading in information technology capacity and Klang Valley remaining a core market.

The country secured 141.72 billion ringgit (31.56 billion dollars) in digital investments in the first 10 months of 2024 -- triple 2023's total.

Keith Ooi, group managing director of Knight Frank Malaysia, said Malaysia's commitment to technological innovation and sustainability makes it a preferred destination for data center investments.

Amy Wong, executive director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank Malaysia, added the dominance not only reinforces Malaysia's competitive edge in Southeast Asia, but also signals the nation's readiness to sustain long-term growth in the digital economy. ■