KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia was on track to secure over 40 billion U.S. dollars in artificial intelligence (AI) and data center investment by 2030, according to the global talent solutions partner Robert Walters.

Driven by major hyperscalers and global technology companies, the capital was set to position Malaysia as Southeast Asia's leading AI and data center hub, expanding the country's role in high-value offshoring, it said.

It noted that the investment will fuel a surge in demand across the offshoring sector, with hiring for cloud and data center operations, cloud engineering, data science and analytics, and cybersecurity expected to rise sharply between 2025 and 2027.

"Our latest research underscores Malaysia's rapidly evolving role as a strategic offshoring location," said Phill Brown, head of market intelligence at Robert Walters.

According to the research house, the growth trajectory was reinforced by the government's National AI Action Plan 2026-2030, alongside recent figures showing 13.29 billion ringgit (3.15 billion dollars) in approved AI-sector investment in the first half of 2025 alone, with the potential to create approximately 6,920 new jobs. ■