GDS partners with TNB to foster digital economy and sustainable development in Malaysia

GDS and TNB sign a supplemental agreement for powering data center campus in Johor, Malaysia

HONG KONG, March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 21 March 2023, GDS, a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers, announced that it will extend and deepen 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) for this collaboration was sealed in October 2022. Through the agreement, GDS Nusajaya Tech Park Phase 1 Data Centers will start operations with an interim supply of 16MW in July 2023 and a permanent supply of 85.5MW within 2023.

On 21 March 2023, GDS and TNB signed a Supplemental Agreement to the ESA, ensuring electricity to be swiftly and reliably supplied to GDS' data center campus in Johor Bahru. The Signing Ceremony of the Supplemental Agreement was held at TNB Platinum, Bangsar. The signatories were represented by Jamie Khoo, COO of GDS; and Kamal Arifin A. Rahman, CRO of TNB. The ceremony was witnessed by William Huang, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of GDS; and Dato' Indera Ir. Baharin Din, CEO of TNB.

William said, "We are very delighted to deepen our relationship with TNB. With TNB's unwavering commitment in 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."

As a leading data center operator, GDS made its ESG commitment of achieving carbon neutrality and 100% renewable energy usage by 2030. "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 fibre connection with ALLO, and new green technology with TNB Renewables." William added.

Noting that TNB and GDS shared common goals and ambitions towards a greener future, Dato' Indera Ir. Baharin Din, CEO of TNB said, "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."

"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," said William.