JOHOR BARU, Aug 26 — The Kulai Iskandar Data Exchange (Kidex) at Sedenak, which is expected to be fully operational in 2023, is seen as able to attract RM17.5 billion worth of investments.

Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the 301-hectare project by TPM Technopark Sdn Bhd (TPM Technopark), a company owned by Johor Corporation (JCorp), offers 1,600 job opportunities, including skilled jobs in information technology as well as semi-skilled and support workers.

He said Kidex is a component in the development of the country’s latest data hub — the Kulai Industrial Park (KIP) which covers 2,950 hectares.

“This project (Kidex) can catalyse the growth of the data industry and make Sedenak a regional data hub in future.

“During my visit to Kidex recently, I was informed that the investors being eyed are those in cloud computing,” he said in a statement today.

Hasni said he was accompanied during the visit by JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim and representatives of several agencies.

He said Kidex has attracted interest from local as well as foreign investors including from China, the United Kingdom and Japan, who have visited the site.

Kidex, he noted, has good logistical support and communication links such as the North-South Expressway and Senai International Airport besides its strategic location near Singapore.

Hasni said during the visit, IRDA had said in the briefing that Kidex is one of the initiatives to realise the physical development agenda of the Smart City Iskandar Malaysia (BPIM) encompassing six dimensions — smart governance ,smart people, smart mobility, smart environment, smart economy, and smart living.

“A robust and stable data communication infrastructure would benefit all stakeholders in the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor—the government, the business sector and the people.

“According to the IRDA, these efforts would not only help Iskandar Malaysia achieve its vision to be a sustainable international standard metropolis but also promote the Digital Johor agenda at the state level and the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan at the national level,” he added. — Bernama