Johor had 850 MW of data-centre capacity operating and 1,800 MW under construction by JLL’s count in April 2026 (NST), or 1,110 MW operating and 602 MW under construction by Cushman & Wakefield’s in the first half of 2026 (EdgeProp). The brokers count differently, so we show both.
Demand is set to keep rising: the ministry projects 4.42 GW of Johor data-centre demand by 2030, out of 8.39 GW for the Peninsula (Malay Mail, Oct 2026). Power and water are the limits. Johor granted data centres 21% of the water they requested in 2024 (EdgeProp), and has shortages at 132 kV intake substations in the Sedenak and Nusajaya clusters (Wood Mackenzie).
- 4.42 GW
- Johor data-centre demand projected for 2030 (Malay Mail)
- 21%
- Share of requested water granted, 2024 (EdgeProp)
- RM115–150
- Per sq ft in four published Johor land deals (calculation below)
How much data-centre capacity is operating and under construction in Johor?
Between 850 and 1,110 MW was operating in 2026, depending on whose count you use. No official megawatt figure for Johor has been published, so the two broker counts are the best available:
| Source | Operating | Under construction | Planned |
|---|---|---|---|
| JLL, Apr 2026 (NST) | 850 MW | 1,800 MW | 2,700 MW |
| Cushman & Wakefield, H1 2026 (EdgeProp) | 1,110 MW | 602 MW | 2,486 MW |
JLL via NST (Apr 2026); Cushman & Wakefield via EdgeProp (H1 2026).
The two counts disagree most on what is under construction (1,800 against 602 MW), which suggests different cut-offs for when a project counts as started. Neither publishes its project list.
Where are Johor’s data centres?
Johor’s data centres sit in five clusters around Johor Bahru: Sedenak and Kulai to the north-west, Iskandar Puteri and Nusajaya in the south-west, the city itself (Nusa Cemerlang, Kempas, Tanjung Kupang), Pasir Gudang and Tebrau to the east, and Gelang Patah. The zones map in the full guide places each as an approximate point. Plot boundaries are not public.
What is Sedenak Tech Park, and who is there?
Sedenak Tech Park is the data-centre park in Kulai district, north-west of Johor Bahru. It is one of the two clusters where Wood Mackenzie reports shortages at 132 kV intake substations, alongside Nusajaya (Wood Mackenzie). Its tenants and announced capacities are listed in the guide’s zones table; no official megawatt figure for the park has been published.
What are the rules for building a new data centre in Johor?
- A state technical committee vets every data-centre application for water efficiency (The Star, 5 Jan 2026).
- The allowable WUE is 1.8; the state has not published the unit (w.media). If it is litres per kWh, it is stricter than MITI’s recommended 2.2.
- Johor has not approved Tier 1 or Tier 2 data centres since November 2025 (NST via w.media).
- Since 10 March 2026 it considers only Tier 3 and 4 air-cooled designs and refuses high-water-demand designs (Malay Mail).
- Reclaimed or alternative water is required in some cases, and evaporative-cooled sites wait until 2027 for water approval (w.media).
Federal rules apply on top: new applications must be AI-related since 24 February 2026, with no written definition (see what counts as an AI data centre).
Is Johor hitting a power and water limit?
On the public record, yes for both. Power: Wood Mackenzie reports shortages at 132 kV intake substations in the Sedenak and Nusajaya clusters, and Johor is about 51% of Peninsular data-centre demand (Wood Mackenzie). Water: Johor granted 6.10 of the 29.1 MLD data centres requested in 2024, or 21% (EdgeProp); its reserve margin was about 14.4% in June 2026 (The Star), below the 15% the regulator SPAN classes as high. Data centres pay RM5.33/m³ for water from 1 August 2025 (The Star). For what electricity costs, see the electricity tariff page.
What does data-centre land cost in Johor?
Four published Johor deals from 2024 to 2026 work out to RM115–150 per sq ft. Price per sq ft = price ÷ (acres × 43,560).
| Date | Location | Buyer | Area | Price | RM psf | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Tanjung Kupang, Johor | DayOne (conditional; completion expected H2 2027) | about 64 acres | RM398.1m | 142 | The Star |
| Apr 2026 | QUANTUM Edge, Kulai, Johor | Hyperscale operator (conditional) | 49.6 acres | RM280.8m | 130 | EcoWorld |
| Dec 2024 | Nusa Cemerlang, Johor Bahru | Data Cloud Innovation | 18.4 acres | RM120.1m | 150 | NST |
All Malaysian deals, with status and a CSV, are on the land prices page.
How hot does it get for cooling in each Johor district?
Johor’s data-centre districts passed 30°C for 246 to 633 hours a year from 2016 to 2025, and 32°C for 13 to 63 hours. The hottest hour in ten years was 34.2 to 36.0°C.
| District | Hours/yr above 30°C | Above 32°C | Hottest hour | Rain, average | Rain, driest year | Driest 60 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kulai / Sedenak | 443 | 33 | 35.5°C | 3,008 mm | 2,249 mm | 150 mm |
| Iskandar Puteri / Nusajaya | 516 | 48 | 35.8°C | 2,873 mm | 2,354 mm | 135 mm |
| Pasir Gudang | 633 | 63 | 36.0°C | 3,274 mm | 2,578 mm | 136 mm |
| Pengerang | 246 | 13 | 34.2°C | 2,600 mm | 1,962 mm | 63 mm |
ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus) via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2016–2025. Analysis: Croutons Research.
ERA5 smooths peaks, so treat hour counts as lower bounds. All 11 districts are on the cooling climate page.
Is there unused capacity in Johor?
No public source maps spare capacity by site. One observation from the climate data: Pengerang, on Johor’s south-east tip, has the mildest heat peaks of the 11 districts we measured, 13 hours a year above 32°C and a ten-year maximum of 34.2°C, and also the lowest rainfall (1,962 mm in its driest year, 63 mm in its driest 60 days). No data-centre project has been announced there. This is an observation, not a recommendation.
What is the flood risk in Johor?
Johor’s 2025 flood losses were RM72.1m (DOSM). At 8am on 21 March 2025, 10,763 people were in relief centres in Johor, including 4,291 in Johor Bahru and 1,152 in Kulai (Malay Mail). JPS flood hazard maps are not public, so flood risk has to be checked site by site.
What is not public
We could not confirm these from a published source as of 10 November 2026. Do not assume them:
- Substation capacity by site
- Flood hazard maps by site
- Water allocation by site
- Official megawatts by zone or for the state
- The unit of Johor’s WUE 1.8 limit
Croutons Research publishes open data and methods on AI data centres in Malaysia. See the open method for measuring AI work per megawatt.
Sources
- Malay Mail, 8.39 GW by 2030 (Oct 2026)
- Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis, Copernicus)
- Wood Mackenzie, Johor grid constraints
- NST, JLL Johor capacity (Apr 2026)
- EdgeProp, Cushman & Wakefield H1 2026
- NST via w.media, Johor stops approving Tier 1 and 2
- The Star, Johor water technical committee (5 Jan 2026)
- w.media, how Johor deals with thirsty data centres
- Malay Mail, Johor refuses high-water designs (10 Mar 2026)
- EdgeProp, water granted at 21–28% of requests
- The Star, Johor water reserve margin (Jun 2026)
- The Star, Johor water tariff for data centres (Aug 2025)
- DOSM, impact of floods 2025
- Malay Mail, Johor flood evacuees (21 Mar 2025)
- The Star, Paragon Globe sells Johor land (Jun 2026)
- EcoWorld, QUANTUM Edge Kulai sale (Apr 2026)
- NST, Crescendo land sale (Dec 2024)
Last checked 10 November 2026