Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, has announced plans to strengthen its presence in Malaysia by deploying a local instance on the upcoming AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) region. The move, which is expected to go live in the first half of 2026, is a direct response to rising local demand and underscores the company’s commitment to providing Malaysian customers with enhanced data governance and security capabilities.
The primary driver for this deployment is the increasing importance of data sovereignty. By establishing a local instance, Snowflake will enable its public and private sector customers in Malaysia to keep their data securely onshore, a critical requirement for adhering to regulations like Malaysia’s National Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP). This ensures that organisations can maintain full control over their data while still leveraging the flexibility and near-instant elasticity of Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud.
Satchit Joglekar, Managing Director for Snowflake ASEAN, highlighted the significance of the move. “With data sovereignty becoming an increasing priority…customers need to have confidence that their data remains on shore,” he stated. “Today’s announcement is a key milestone in offering increased compliance and security capabilities while decreasing latency, enabling our customers across the public sector, enterprise, healthcare, financial services and beyond to innovate faster and more securely than before”.
The collaboration was welcomed by AWS, with Kirsten Gilbertson, Partner Organization Leader for AWS ASEAN, noting that the planned launch “will enable Malaysian organizations to confidently push the boundaries of what’s possible with data while accessing world-class cloud and AI capabilities”.
Local customers and partners, who are already using the AI Data Cloud, have lauded the announcement. Dato’ Eddie Ong Choo Meng, CEO of Hextech, said, “With the upcoming Snowflake deployment on AWS Malaysia, we will benefit from guaranteed data residency, a key advantage for our industry, while achieving lower latency – enabling us to deliver personalised financial solutions to customers with greater speed and precision”.
This sentiment was shared by Srinivas Gattamneni, CEO of ADA, a company that uses Snowflake to power key industry solutions. “With the new Malaysia region, we look forward to delivering these solutions with lower latency and full data residency, a critical advantage for industries like BFSI, telco, and healthcare, while positioning Malaysia as a hub for AI-driven commerce across ASEAN,” he commented.
This strategic deployment by Snowflake is set to empower more Malaysian organizations to scale their digital offerings and tap into an expanding suite of artificial intelligence tools, reinforcing the country’s position as a growing hub for data-driven innovation in the region.
