Amazon Expands Cloud Service After $6.2 Billion Malaysia Bet

(Bloomberg) — Amazon.com Inc.'s cloud division launched a new infrastructure region as part of the company's $6.2 billion investment plan in Malaysia.

The new region is backed by Amazon Web Services' data centers in the Southeast Asian country and aims to serve growing needs for cloud services, including across Asia Pacific, the company said in a statement dated Aug. 21.

US tech giants have stepped up their investments in Malaysia as the country emerges as a key bet on services related to artificial intelligence and data centers in Asia. While AWS revealed its plans last year to invest in Malaysia through 2038, Alphabet Inc. said in May that it was committed to making $2 billion in investments.

The construction and operation of the new region is estimated to add $12.1 billion to Malaysia's economy and to add more than 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs at external businesses every year through 2038, AWS said. The jobs, such as in construction and engineering, will be part of the company's supply chain.