KUALA LUMPUR: Nasdaq-listed Troops Inc is committing US$12mil to establish a new artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure business focused on Southeast Asia, with Malaysia among its key target markets.
The Hong Kong-based financial services and property group said the new unit is evaluating sites, partnerships and assets in Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, with Malaysia a key focus amid the expansion of data centres in Johor.
Troops expects to make an initial US$6mil allocation by the end of 2026.
The group said it is seeking a partnership with Texas-based Bfarms365 LLC to offer services including graphics processing unit-as-a-service, AI inference, edge computing, decentralised computing and cloud orchestration.
Troops president and chief executive officer Damian Thurnheer said Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, is seeing significant investment in computing infrastructure.
“Southeast Asia, Malaysia in particular, has become the place where Asia’s compute is actually being built, and the capital going in is no longer only American.
“Moving into this layer is a natural extension of our business, which has pioneered disruptive technologies including fintech,” he said.
Troops cited Malaysian Investment Development Authority data showing RM385.7bil in approved data-centre investments in Malaysia between 2021 and the first half of 2026.
It said Johor has 850 megawatts (MW) of operational data-centre capacity, with another 1,800MW under construction and 2,700MW in the pipeline.
The group said the new venture would complement its existing businesses in financial services, property and fintech.
Troopschief technology officer Tommy Wing Ling Lui said the group already uses machine learning in its underwriting and servicing operations on rented infrastructure.
“Malaysia's build-out in Johor shows how quickly this capacity is being put to work, and owning our own footprint there changes what we can build,” he said.
Troops said it would provide further updates as definitive terms are reached and make the necessary filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
