Malaysia weighs law to monitor data centre operations, chips use, trade minister says
SMH•Malaysia is considering a law to monitor data centre operations, including high-performance chip use. Applicants may have to disclose operators, locations and the number of GPUs they plan to bring into the country.
1. Proposed data centre oversight
Malaysia is considering legislation to monitor data centre operations and their use of high-performance chips, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani said. The government is seeking information from those planning data centres, including facility operators and locations, and the number of GPUs being brought in.
2. Focus on chip use
Johari said Malaysia needed to ensure chips subject to US restrictions were imported for domestic use rather than re-export. Malaysia imposed export controls last year on the movement of high-performance AI chips of US origin. The minister said the government had no plans to investigate Speedmatrix, a Malaysian unit of Singapore-based Megaspeed, over allegations it may have been used to channel Nvidia chips to Chinese users.
3. Megaspeed response
Megaspeed said it took its obligations under US export control laws seriously and was committed to working constructively with the US government. Chairman and CEO James Tan Yong Pong said the company welcomed appropriate government scrutiny.
