Malaysia to make data centre operators disclose power use, GPU imports under new law, says Johari Ghani

Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the government needs to know who the operators and hyperscalers are for each data centre, as well as the location of each data centre.  — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

First Published: Thursday, 12 Nov 2026 2:51 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The requirement to disclose data centre operations information, including electricity usage and the number of graphics processing unit (GPU) chips imported, will be embedded in law to enable the government to monitor data centre operations, said Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

He said the government needs to know who the operators and hyperscalers are for each data centre, as well as the location of each data centre. 

Johari said 55 of the 117 approved data centre projects have begun operations, and monitoring must continue after approval is granted.

He said this during his speech at the launch ceremony of Miti’s MySaham mobile app here today.

Regarding electricity supply, Johari said data centre operators must determine the actual capacity needed because suppliers must allocate the capacity agreed upon in the supply agreement.

“For example, if a data centre books a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) but only uses 50 MW, the remaining 50 MW that are not being used will still be billed,” the minister added. — Bernama