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Equinix Malaysia Explores Alternative Energy Ahead of July Tariff Hike Amid Data Center Expansion

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Equinix Malaysia, the local arm of global data center operator Equinix, is evaluating alternative energy providers to mitigate the impact of a 14.2% electricity tariff increase set to take effect in July, the company said on Wednesday. The tariff hike is expected to significantly raise operational costs, especially for energy-intensive data center operations.

Cheam Tat Inn, managing director of Equinix Malaysia, stated during a media walkabout at the Cyberjaya data center—now completing its second phase—that the company is actively engaging with renewable energy providers, although specific sources and timelines have not been disclosed.

Equinix currently operates two facilities in Malaysia:

  • Cyberjaya with a capacity of 4.8 megawatts (MW)

  • Johor with 2.4 MW, which is fully subscribed following its launch in May 2023.

Cheam added that customer occupancy at the Cyberjaya site is rising rapidly, underscoring strong regional demand for digital infrastructure.

Malaysia is in the midst of a data center boom, with forecasts projecting a fourfold increase in facilities over the next decade from the current 18, collectively demanding over 800MW of electricity. The surge is largely driven by the growing demand for AI and cloud services, with tech giants such as Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, ByteDance, and Oracle investing billions in the country.

Equinix has also been aggressively expanding across Southeast Asia, acquiring three data centers in the Philippines last year and maintaining operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore as it positions itself to tap into the region’s digital growth trajectory.

OpenAI Retreats from Restructuring Plan, Nonprofit Retains Control Amid Lawsuit and Public Backlash

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OpenAI has reversed course on a major restructuring plan, announcing on Monday that its nonprofit parent will retain control over its for-profit arm — a move aimed at easing growing criticism and legal pressure, including a lawsuit from co-founder Elon Musk.

In a blog post, CEO Sam Altman emphasized that OpenAI will remain under nonprofit oversight, countering a December proposal to convert the for-profit unit into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). That plan, which would have diluted nonprofit control in favor of capital-raising flexibility, faced strong pushback from civic leaders, regulators, and former OpenAI insiders.

“We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware,” said Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI’s board.

While the nonprofit will remain the controlling entity and a major shareholder, OpenAI still plans to proceed with uncapping investor profits and revising its for-profit structure to attract future funding. The company is also working with Microsoft, regulators, and other stakeholders to finalize equity distribution under the updated plan.

However, critics say the announcement lacks clarity. Page Hedley, a former OpenAI ethics adviser, said the nonprofit’s reduced ownership stake raises questions about whether OpenAI’s mission — ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity — will remain legally paramount under the revised structure.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s lawsuit will proceed, with his legal team dismissing the move as a cosmetic change. Attorney Marc Toberoff argued that the new structure hides how much control the nonprofit has ceded to the for-profit business.

Despite the controversy, Altman said investor confidence remains strong, and that the company can still raise up to $40 billion in new funding, including a proposed round led by SoftBank at a $300 billion valuation.

The update comes as the AI arms race intensifies, with OpenAI seeking a delicate balance between mission fidelity and capital flexibility, all while navigating legal scrutiny, ethical concerns, and internal leadership tensions.

Microsoft Unveils Affordable AI-Powered Surface Devices with Qualcomm Chips

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Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it will launch more affordable AI-enabled Surface devices powered by Qualcomm chips, aiming to bring advanced “Copilot+” features to a broader user base, including students and early-career professionals.

The new Surface Laptop (13-inch) and Surface Pro Tablet (12-inch) will go on sale starting May 20, priced at $899 and $799 respectively. Both devices will be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chips, positioning them competitively between Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air ($999) and iPad Pro models (from $649 to $999).

These will be Microsoft’s lowest-priced devices to support the Copilot+ suite, a bundle of AI features introduced in 2023. The tools include natural language commands for changing system settings and generating AI-powered first drafts for documents. Previously, most devices supporting Copilot+ had been priced above $1,000 due to hardware requirements.

Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and Devices, said the move is intended to expand access to AI tools. “We think these new Surface Pro and laptops are for a set of customers for whom affordability is going to be important,” he stated during an April 28 press briefing.

Microsoft’s latest hardware launch reflects an ongoing strategy to democratize AI functionality across its ecosystem, while also responding to competitive pricing pressures in the consumer tech market.