ZData, a Beijing-based data-centre company, is building a campus at Gelang Patah, Johor, its first investment outside China, with a stated project value of about RM8 billion (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026). It bought 38.527 acres there for RM240 million in 2024 (EdgeProp, 9 Oct 2024).
Phase 1 was completed on 4 February 2026 (Lowyat.NET, 11 Feb 2026), with remaining phases due by the end of 2027 (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026). A capacity of 300 MW appears in one trade outlet only (w.media, 12 Mar 2026); the company’s reported statements give no megawatts.
- RM8bn
- Stated project value (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026)
- 38.527 acres
- Bought for RM240m (EdgeProp, 9 Oct 2024)
- 630,000 MWh a year
- Solar supply under a term sheet, from 2028 (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026)
- 400–500 jobs
- Company estimate on completion, at least 200 local (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026)
Who is ZData?
- The parent is named ZData Technologies Co Ltd, headquartered in Beijing, in the land seller’s 2024 filing (EdgeProp, 9 Oct 2024), and ZDATA Group Co Ltd in 2026 reports (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026).
- It was established in 2014 and was reported to be considering a Hong Kong listing. Its shareholders are not named (The Star, 12 Sep 2025).
- Group clients named in news reports include Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent. No customer is named for the Johor site (The Star, 12 Sep 2025).
What is being built at Gelang Patah?
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Land | 38.527 acres of freehold land, bought for RM240m cash from a Tropicana unit | (EdgeProp, 9 Oct 2024) |
| Developed so far | About 18 acres (Phases 1 and 2); about 20 acres awaiting handover from the master developer | (Lowyat.NET, 11 Feb 2026) |
| Phase 1 | Completed 4 February 2026; operations scheduled to begin by end of March 2026 | (Lowyat.NET, 11 Feb 2026) (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026) |
| Phase 2 | Operations expected in the second quarter of 2026 | (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026) |
| Remaining phases | Due by the end of 2027 | (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026) |
| Design | “Engineered to Tier 3+ standards”, a design claim; provisional GreenRE Platinum rating | (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026) |
| Efficiency | PUE of about 1.2 with closed-loop cooling; whether designed or measured is not stated | (w.media, 12 Mar 2026) |
In February 2026 more than 50 residents protested near the site over dust and water. The company said its site had minimal construction activity and attributed the dust to adjacent plots (Lowyat.NET, 11 Feb 2026).
How is it powered and cooled?
- Power: a term sheet signed on 10 March 2026 with two Malaysian energy companies for long-term renewable supply from solar farms, about 630,000 MWh a year, with the solar component expected in 2028. A term sheet is not a final agreement (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026).
- Water: designed to run on 100% reclaimed water treated at two plants near the site; the company says it does not use the state’s potable supply (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026).
- Financing: reported in September 2025 to be seeking about US$500m of private debt for the Johor build; the company did not comment and the outcome is not public (The Star, 12 Sep 2025).
Conflicting figures
Reports of the campus differ on several basics.
| Point | One source | Another source |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | About RM8bn (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026) | US$2bn, with US$820m spent to date according to unnamed sources (w.media, 12 Mar 2026) |
| Capacity | “300 MW campus” (w.media, 12 Mar 2026) | No megawatts in reports of the company’s release (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026) |
| Number of phases | Four (Lowyat.NET, 11 Feb 2026) | Five (w.media, 12 Mar 2026) |
| Power deal | “Strategic term sheet” (Bernama, 11 Mar 2026) | Memorandum of understanding (EdgeProp, 11 Mar 2026) |
What is not public
We could not confirm these from a published source as of 11 November 2026. Do not assume them:
- A company-published megawatt figure, and whether 300 MW is IT load or total power
- Whether Phase 1 and Phase 2 began operating as scheduled
- The parent’s shareholders
- Customers for the Johor site
- Contracted grid power and reclaimed-water volumes
- The outcome of the reported US$500m loan
Croutons Research publishes open data and methods on AI data centres in Malaysia. See the open method for measuring AI work per megawatt.
Sources
- Bernama, ZDATA renewable supply term sheet (11 Mar 2026)
- EdgeProp, Tropicana RM240m Johor land deal (9 Oct 2024)
- Lowyat.NET, ZData responds to protests (11 Feb 2026)
- EdgeProp, GreenRE Platinum rating (11 Mar 2026)
- w.media, ZData green ranking (12 Mar 2026)
- The Star, ZData seeks US$500m private loan (Bloomberg) (12 Sep 2025)
Last checked 11 November 2026