NUSAJAYA, April 8 — Malaysia expects to grow the data industry market to RM2 billion by 2020 from RM300 million in 2010, driven by the growing demand for data outsourcing globally.

Minister of Communication and Multimedia Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the data centre sector in Malaysia was expected to be key to the region’s growth potential.

“Already an international location for major enterprises, Malaysia is well positioned for market reach to potential growth opportunities in Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar to the north and to other large growth nations, such as Indonesia and the Philippines,” he said at the opening of the DataCloud South East Asia conference here today.

Ahmad Shabery said the data centre industry in Malaysia has seen significant growth over the last five years with government’s emphasis placed on driving the industry by enhancing local capabilities, facilities and talent.  “There are 26 data centre service companies in the country, providing a total of one million square feet of data centre space,” he added. — Bernama