(Flagged by Roy Tomizawa, Sasin Executive Education) Like Thailand, Malaysia has turned its economic efforts to the digital sphere—perhaps rather more successfully, if a recent Reuters article is to be believed. Malaysia’s thriving economy owes much of its success to early adoption of digital technologies and innovative business models. Given the emphasis we see Thai startups giving all aspects of digitization, and given some local success (with others underway, like the Claris OA/SasinSEC collaboration for a digital ESG platform), it would be nice to see more of our digital innovation achieve the scale and recognition that Malaysia’s efforts have achieved. The digital economy in Malaysia is a rapidly growing sector that saw $15.7 billion in investment in the third quarter of 2022 alone. One area where Malaysia has excelled is in hyperscale data centers, with Bridge Data Centers opening a new facility in Sedenak, Johor, with a capacity of 110MW. The facility was completed in 314 days and incorporates state-of-the-art cooling technology and sustainable construction methods. It supports Malaysia’s digital economy ambitions by creating new employment opportunities and encouraging knowledge transfer and shared experience in problem-solving, design, and development of data centers. Malaysia’s government is supporting the growth of the hyperscale facilities market, critical for the upgrading of networks, as the country transitions to 5G. The Digital Investment Office (DIO) aims to increase opportunities for support services, for skilled jobs and to uplift local businesses. Malaysia is a rising star in the global data center sector, with $28 billion in approved foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of 2022. The nation is building a dynamic digital sector with increasing momentum. Thailand needs to move quickly in order not to be left in the dust of faster-moving, more quickly innovating ASEAN economies like Malaysia’s. For the complete story, Please follow