GDS Malaysia Data Center / Johor, Malaysia

The AI Revolution is a Data Center Revolution

Modern AI models such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other large language models require enormous computational resources. An AI-supported search on platforms like ChatGPT can require four to five times more processing capacity than a traditional internet search. This demand has made AI the single most significant driver of new data center construction in recent years.

Traditional centers cannot meet the demands of AI, which requires specialized infrastructure. AI tasks such as training AI models, processing huge datasets, storing user data and running AI services for millions of users are performed by thousands of powerful servers and specialized AI chips (GPUs) housed inside data centers. GPUs consume significantly more electricity than traditional CPUs and the powerful AI hardware require high-density racks that can generate immense heat. “AI-Ready” data centers are engineered to support up to 150 kW per rack—far more than traditional facilities. To manage this heat, they are equipped with advanced cooling systems, including liquid cooling and immersion cooling. Large capital expenditure, complex M&E systems, high voltage electrical infrastructure, advanced cooling systems and sophisticated security, these requirements make data centers more technically demanding than standard commercial developments.

Mapping Our AI-Ready Portfolio

Southeast Asia: A Regional Powerhouse

South-East Asia has become a global hotspot for this data centre expansion. The Region’s combination of lower costs, availability of power, water and land, and geopolitical neutrality has attracted billions in investment from tech titans. This is precisely the context for the wave of projects Northcroft has been engaged in across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. Through GDS’s international arm, DayOne, Northcroft has been actively building data center infrastructure across Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, the Johor region bordering Singapore has seen its data center capacity skyrocket, emerging as a major AI hub. Northcroft’s extensive work with GDS in this region positions at the center of this growth, alongside global giants like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, who have made multi-billion-dollar commitments to build cloud and AI infrastructure in Malaysia.

In Thailand, Northcroft helps Zhonglian Data Group to align with the country’s rapid emergence as a digital hub, backed by major investments from Google and others. Northcroft’s involvement with Heying Data’s planned multi-billion-dollar green AI data center in Rayong further demonstrates our leadership in the region.

Greater China: Supporting AI at Scale

Northcroft’s data center projects in China, including those in Hong Kong, Macau and Ulanqab, are directly tied to the nation’s massive AI push. Ulanqab has been positioned as a major intelligent computing hub, the region had signed agreements for 84 data center projects by the end of 2025, 81 of which were AI computing centers. These facilities, including Northcroft’s existing work with Huawei, are critical for training large AI models, with a latency as low as 4.2 milliseconds to Beijing.

Huawei Ulanqab Data Center / Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Northcroft’s data center portfolio expansion since 2022 is not just a story of business growth, it is a story of positioning Northcroft at the center of a technological revolution. The data center projects Northcroft has delivered for GDS, Zhonglian, Heying, Huawei are the direct result of the global AI boom. As the demand for AI computing power continues to grow, Northcroft remains dedicated to building the critical, “AI-Ready” infrastructure that will power the future of digital innovation across Asia.