Sarawak plans to build the Kuching AI Data Campus on a 405-hectare site at Tanjung Embang, in the Samarahan Division, through a public-private partnership that starts with a 120-hectare first phase. Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg set out the plan again on 5 October when he opened the ninth International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS26) in Kuching, Bernama reported.

He described the campus as the physical base for an AI Grid and a way to draw investment into the state's data centre sector, according to the same report.

What the campus is meant to contain

Across the announcements made since May, the campus has been described with the following components:

  • Dedicated power and water supply for data centre operations, first set out in a Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) statement carried by Bernama on 3 May.
  • AI computing facilities and digital connectivity nodes, listed in the Premier's IDECS26 address (Bernama).
  • A site of about 405 hectares, with an initial phase of 120 hectares (Bernama, May).

The state has not published a cost, a developer or a construction timetable for the campus in any of the sources reviewed for this article.

Where the idea came from, and how it will be built

The campus was first announced while the Premier was on a working visit to the K2 Strategic Data Centre Campus in Dublin, Ireland, and the state said it would be modelled on that facility, Bernama reported in May. The same UKAS statement said the project would be carried out as a public-private partnership.

Tanjung Embang is also the site of other large planned projects. The May statement linked the campus to plans there for a new airport, a seaport and low-carbon industry (Bernama). Readers following the state's road and bridge programme on the Kuching–Samarahan corridor can find our coverage of the area under Samarahan and Kuching.

What the AI Grid is supposed to do

The Premier has presented the campus and the AI Grid as two linked steps. In his IDECS26 address he said the grid is being built to connect computing resources and make use of Sarawak's renewable energy capacity, and called the two initiatives a move from strategy to infrastructure and then to application (Bernama).

In his Gawai Dayak message on 31 May, he described the campus as a catalyst for a regional AI Grid, and also referred to plans for a CubeSat-based nano-satellite targeted for launch by 2030, Bernama reported.

As an example of the approach in practice, he cited ADAM AI, a system developed for the Sarawak Civil Service to work with authorised information, support policy analysis and help prepare documents (Bernama).

How the chip programme fits in

The data campus sits alongside a semiconductor programme the state has been building for several years. The main pieces on record are:

  • Sarawak Semiconductor Roadmap 2030, which targets RM2 billion in investment, 3,000 high-skilled jobs and new intellectual property, according to the Premier's Office.
  • Gallium nitride (GaN) chip development, which the state said in September 2025 it was pursuing through SMD Semiconductor with X-FAB in Dresden, Cambridge Microelectronics and CSA Catapult. The same announcement accompanied the launch of X-FAB Sarawak's RM3 billion fabrication expansion at Sama Jaya High Tech Park (Premier's Office).
  • A semiconductor and satellite engagement in Bristol in May 2026, organised by SMD Semiconductor and the University of Bristol, at which agreements were exchanged with Yayasan Sarawak (Premier's Office).

On the UK visit, the Premier also argued that chips, data centres and information management systems have to be developed together for the state's data ambitions to work (Premier's Office).

What IDECS is

IDECS is the state's annual digital economy conference. This year's edition is the ninth, held under the theme "Scaling Innovation Ecosystems For A Borderless Economy: Earth, Orbit & Beyond" (Bernama). It is organised by the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and Sarawak Information Systems (SAINS), and its awards are presented by the Premier; X-FAB Sarawak won the Premier's Digital Economy Award at the 2025 edition (Premier's Office).

Sources