KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6): JLand Group Sdn Bhd, the real estate infrastructure arm and wholly owned subsidiary of Johor Corp (JCorp), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mitsui & Co (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to develop a hyperscale data centre and a renewable energy (RE) facility in the form of a captive solar farm to power data centres in the Sedenak Tech Park (STeP), according to a press release on Monday (Dec 5). The projects will be part of JCorp's Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC) development in Johor.
The immediate term of the MOU states that JLand and Mitsui will conduct a joint feasibility study of the development of the hyperscale data centre and the captive solar farm. Following the completion of the study, both partners and their co-developers will form a joint-venture partnership to invest, develop and operate the projects.
JLand chairman and JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said that this initiative is one of the major milestones for JCorp’s vision of a sustainable future, while ensuring the state and country meet their decarbonisation aspirations. “In an increasingly data-dependent digital economy, we are proactively identifying and implementing RE sources for the future of decarbonising data centres."
The statement added that through this collaboration, STeP –– the flagship 700-acre (283.28-hectare) data centre hub –– is poised to attract global hyperscale data centres, not only by offering future availability of RE, but also with other supporting packages, including competitive green project financing from the market.
JCorp director of real estate and infrastructure division Datuk Akmal Ahmad said: “The positive boom of the data centre sector over the past years has brought the importance of sustainability and RE to the fore, as data centre operators explore cleaner technologies to turn operations green. We are proud to be among the pioneers in hyperscale green data centres in Johor, and are excited to partner with Mitsui and RE co-developers to advance the decarbonisation of data centres through clean power procurement.”
The collaboration will also involve other industry partners as co-developers, who will contribute sector expertise and knowledge transfer throughout the project investment, design, development, and maintenance phases.
As part of the MOU, both partners will also explore other potential investment ventures within JCorp’s portfolios, including IBTEC, focusing on advanced industrial developments, environmentally friendly technologies and the port business. The areas of interest may include RE, digital and mobility infrastructure and high-tech industrial development.