Chinese data center firm ZData is expanding into Malaysia with a project in Johor.

Tropicana Firstwide Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tropicana Corporation Berhad, this week announced a sale and purchase agreement to sell 38 acres of land in Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru to ZData subsidiary Computility Technology (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd for RM 240 million ($55.9m).

Tropicana Zdata johor
Tropicana signs deal with China's ZData – Tropicana Corporation

The deal is set to complete in Q4 2025.

Beijing-based ZData Technologies Co Ltd is a provider of cloud and IT infrastructure services. The company aims to develop a data center on the site.

Founded in 1979, Tropicana is a real estate conglomerate focused on property development and management, property investment, recreation and resorts, investment holdings, and more. The company has a landbank of more than 1,600 acres – with more than 720 acres in Johor.

Tropicana said it acquired the land in 2019 for RM74.28 million. Proceeds of the sale will go towards repaying borrowing on the land, defray expenses around development work on the land, and fund further property development of the company.

This is Tropicana’s second land sale for data center development. In August, the company announced it had sold just over 68 acres of land in Johor to a subsidiary of NTT for a data center project.

Located in Malaysia’s south, Johor is just across the border from Singapore. Though Singapore is starting to ease restrictions around its ongoing moratorium on new data center developments, Johor has grown a sizeable data center market of its own as developments overspill from the city-state. Other developers and operators in Johor include PDG, AirTrunk, Equinix, Keppel, ChinData's Bridge DC, and Yondr.

Founded in 2014, ZData aims to develop 30 data centers across China – including Beijing, Zhangjiakou, Langfang, Tianjin, Ulanqab, Datong Yanggao, Shaoguan, and Shaoyang – with 1GW in operation or development and 3GW planned. In August, the company broke ground on a project in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia.

ZData lists planned facilities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, but doesn’t provide details.

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