Contractor wins first phase of $3bn liquid-cooling-ready data centre in Malaysia

Digital rendering of the KUL2 data centre campus in Cyberjaya, Malaysia (Image: Vantage Data Centers handout)

Hong Kong-based construction contractor Leighton Asia has won a deal to design and build the first phase of a high-density, liquid cooling-ready data centre in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

Leighton Asia’s parent company Cimic Group did not reveal the identity of the client for the project, however, it did note that the data centre is the first of four in a 256 MW, 35-acre campus.

Vantage Data Centers has previously announced that its Cyberjaya campus (KUL2) would be exactly this size and scope.

In 2023, it announced that it was investing an additional US$3 billion into Malaysia, having executed an agreement with Cyberview, the tech hub developer of Cyberjaya, to build the largest hyperscale data centre campus in the city.

The first data centre in the campus will have a 64MW capacity and will feature near-zero water utilization efficiency (a measure of how efficiently a data centre uses water) by using the latest cooling technology.

Cimic group executive chairman Juan Santamaría said, “Leveraging our global critical digital infrastructure capabilities we will deliver this data centre with the latest liquid cooling technology and cutting-edge solutions that can handle higher heat loads. Liquid cooling systems consume less energy, helping operators reduce energy costs and improve energy efficiency.”

Cimic’s parent company Hochtief has put data centres at the centre of its strategy for future growth. Earlier this year, the company revealed that data centres now make up 12% of its entire order backlog.

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