OpenAI is expanding its global AI infrastructure footprint through a new multi-year partnership with Australian AI infrastructure company Firmus, securing dedicated computing capacity from two new AI factory sites in Malaysia.
The agreement, announced September 8, makes OpenAI an anchor customer for Firmus as demand for the computing power required to train and run advanced AI models continues to accelerate.
What happened?
Firmus said OpenAI will contract dedicated AI compute capacity from two of its Malaysian sites. The deal takes Firmus’ contracted capacity across customers to more than 900 MW.
Firmus currently has a portfolio spanning seven AI factories across Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Two are operational and five are under development, with the company targeting readiness over the next 24 months.
Reuters independently reported the agreement on September 8, highlighting OpenAI’s role as an anchor customer and Malaysia’s growing position in the regional data-centre market.
Nvidia Vera Rubin is part of the infrastructure push
The partnership also sits within Firmus’ broader expansion using Nvidia technology. Firmus says it plans to deploy Nvidia Vera Rubin at scale across Asia-Pacific, using Vera Rubin NVL72 rack-scale systems and Nvidia’s DSX AI Factory Platform alongside Firmus’ own HyperCube infrastructure.
That makes the story significant beyond OpenAI alone. It connects three of the biggest themes in technology right now: the rapid expansion of AI compute, Nvidia’s next generation of accelerated computing hardware and Southeast Asia’s growing role in global data-centre development.
Why Malaysia matters
Malaysia has become one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing data-centre hubs as major technology companies look for additional locations with access to power, connectivity and regional customers.
That growth is creating challenges as well as investment. Reuters reported separately this week that data centres accounted for a record 9.3% of Malaysia’s overall electricity consumption during the second week of August, compared with an average of 7% this year. Officials estimate the sector could represent as much as 31% of Peninsular Malaysia’s electricity demand by 2035.
What does the deal mean for OpenAI users?
Most users will not notice a new Malaysian data centre when opening an AI app. The impact happens behind the scenes.
Modern AI services require enormous amounts of computing capacity. Adding infrastructure in Asia-Pacific can give OpenAI more capacity to serve growing demand across the region and globally, while reducing dependence on a smaller number of infrastructure locations.
OpenAI VP of Compute Strategy Sachin Katti said the Malaysian data centres would help the company serve growing demand for its products across the region and around the world.
The bigger AI infrastructure race
The AI competition is increasingly becoming an infrastructure competition. Building better models is only part of the challenge; companies also need access to GPUs, networking, cooling systems, electricity and data-centre capacity capable of running those models at enormous scale.
For Nvidia, projects such as Firmus’ Asia-Pacific rollout create another route for its accelerated-computing platforms to reach AI developers and cloud customers. For Malaysia, the OpenAI deal reinforces the country’s emergence as an important regional AI infrastructure hub.
The Tech Boom take
For readers, the key point is that the AI boom is moving from software into physical infrastructure at extraordinary scale. OpenAI securing dedicated capacity in Malaysia shows how the race to build better AI now depends just as much on data centres, power and advanced Nvidia hardware as it does on algorithms.
As AI services continue to expand, where this infrastructure is built — and how countries provide enough energy to run it — will become an increasingly important part of the technology story.
Sources
- Firmus — “Firmus surpasses 900 MW contracted capacity, adds OpenAI as anchor customer and expands into Malaysia,” September 8, 2026.
- Reuters — “Nvidia-backed Firmus signs deal with OpenAI for Malaysia data centre capacity,” September 8, 2026.
- Reuters — reporting on Malaysia’s rising data-centre electricity demand, September 8, 2026.
