GDS and TNB partners to boost digital infrastructure

GDS, a prominent developer and operator of high-performance data centres, announced today the extension and deepening of its strategic partnership with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the largest electricity utility in Malaysia and a leading utility company in Asia.

The Electricity Supply Agreement (ESA) was sealed in October 2022, and through the agreement, GDS Nusajaya Tech Park Phase 1 Data Centers will commence operations with an interim supply of 16MW in July 2023 and a permanent supply of 85.5MW within 2023.

At a signing ceremony held at TNB Platinum, Bangsar, GDS and TNB signed a Supplemental Agreement to the ESA, which ensures that electricity will be swiftly and reliably supplied to GDS’ data centre campus in Johor Bahru.

Jamie Khoo, COO of GDS, and Kamal Arifin A. Rahman, CRO of TNB, represented the signatories, and the ceremony was witnessed by William Huang, the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GDS, and Dato’ Indera Ir. Baharin Din, CEO of TNB.

William Huang, CEO of GDS, expressed his enthusiasm for deepening the relationship with TNB. “With TNB’s unwavering commitment to providing reliable electricity supply to our data center campus in Johor Bahru, GDS is well-positioned to offer world-class data center services in the region, further strengthening Malaysia’s digital infrastructure and accelerating its digital transformation and growth,” said Huang.

GDS, as a leading data centre operator, has made a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and 100% renewable energy usage by 2030. Huang added, “We look forward to the collaboration with TNB in the adoption of renewable energy as part of our sustainable development efforts, such as a smart green solution, including rooftop solar with GSPARX, dark fiber connection with ALLO, and new green technology with TNB Renewables.”

Dato’ Indera Ir. Baharin Din, CEO of TNB, shared GDS’s ambitions towards a greener future and noted that TNB and GDS shared common goals. “We are confident that our collaboration with GDS has great potential to benefit both parties as well as Malaysians. TNB will extend its collaboration into the provision of smart energy solutions. This collaboration is one of many initiatives that is accelerating the growth of the nation’s digital economy, which is further driven by the increased usage of cloud-based services, IoT, big data analytics and the rapid pace of digitalization in the region.”

William Huang said, “Through this strategic partnership, we believe we can make significant contributions to support Malaysia’s ambition in becoming a data center hub and driving the regional digital economy. We are grateful for TNB’s support and strive to foster a fruitful partnership ahead.”

The collaboration between GDS and TNB is a significant step towards strengthening Malaysia’s digital infrastructure and meeting the country’s ambition to become a data centre hub, enabling the rapid pace of digitalization in the region.