Google has committed $160 million to develop shared water infrastructure in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, to support a planned data center in the region.

The funds will go towards the construction of an off-river storage reservoir and water treatment plant to serve both the local community and its planned data center campus in Port Dickson.

Google partnered with the state government and water utility Syarikat Air Negeri Sembilan Sdn Bhd on the initiative. It has tapped Gamuda Berhad, a Malaysia-based engineering and construction company, to carry out the construction work.

Google said that, when complete, the plant will have the capacity to supply 65 million liters (17.17 million gallons) of drinking water a day for public use and Google’s campus.

Drew Byrnes, director and head of global infrastructure and energy, Asia Pacific, Google, said: “Google’s decision to fund shared water infrastructure in Negeri Sembilan reflects our global ambition to replenish 120 percent of the freshwater volume we consume, even as our water risk assessment showed that local water sources were not at high risk of scarcity or depletion.

"This underscores our responsibility to grow our presence sustainably—pairing advanced digital infrastructure development with water replenishment projects, power infrastructure enhancements, and programs designed to upskill local talent for new career opportunities.”

Google bought 389 acres of land in Port Dickson in May last year, where it intends to build the data center. Port Dickson is located some 90km (55.9 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur, on the banks of the Strait of Malacca. According to reports, the data center will have a capacity of between 500MW and 1GW, with Gamuda Engineering in charge of the engineering and infrastructure works.

Google has committed to pay for 100 percent of the power required for the campus, in addition to the direct infrastructure costs required to connect it to the grid.

In addition to the Port Dickson data center, Google has one other data center development in the country. The hyperscaler broke ground at the Elmina Business Park in Selangor in October 2024. The data center's first phase, which is expected to have a capacity of 100MW is slated for completion sometime this year.

The projects are part of a wider investment by the company, with Google committing to invest $2 billion in the country back in 2024.