SD Guthrie Plans Johor Industrial Park to Tap Data Centre Boom

SD Guthrie, the world's biggest oil palm planter by acreage, is positioning itself to tap into the data centre boom as it looks to develop a green-energy powered industrial park in Johor.

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KUALA LUMPUR -

The company, which owns 340,000ha across Malaysia, is expanding into industrial parks and renewable energy to reduce its reliance on palm oil.

Its landbank in Johor will enable the group to become a key landlord and green power supplier in South-east Asia's fastest-growing data centre hub.

Discussions are ongoing with other parties for the project in Kulai and an announcement is expected to be made "in the next four to six months", group managing director Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said in an interview on Aug 26.

He did not give further details.

"Data centres require land and it has to be strategic, and this is where we can play a role because now, we are in the business of providing the land for industrial parks," he said.