Aolani, a Singapore-founded AI cloud company, has signed a strategic compute collaboration with NVIDIA that will expand AI factory infrastructure across Southeast Asia. The agreement, announced on 21 September 2026, is the first of its scale for a Southeast Asian-founded company and represents a major milestone for the region's position in the global AI ecosystem. By combining Aolani's capabilities with NVIDIA's technology, the collaboration aims to unlock financing that will accelerate and democratize access to AI compute for global AI natives, sovereigns, and local enterprises and SMEs.
The collaboration brings Aolani's total AI factory capacity to more than 100 megawatts (MW). 22,000 GPUs are expected to be deployed across two AI factories in Malaysia and the Philippines in early 2027, bringing Aolani's total deployment to over 48,000 GPUs. As an NVIDIA Cloud Partner since 2023, Aolani will deploy NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs, a leading AI system designed to help organizations build and scale advanced AI workloads. Aolani will deliver NVIDIA-powered cloud services to AI-native companies, enterprises, startups, developers, and institutions across Southeast Asia. A revenue-sharing and credit-support model will align infrastructure deployment with customer demand, helping broaden access to large-scale accelerated computing while giving Aolani a capital-efficient path to scale its AI factories across the region.
Southeast Asia is one of the most robust AI markets in the world, with AI adoption rates among companies demonstrating stronger momentum than the global average, according to a McKinsey & Company report. More than US$50 billion has been invested by global hyperscalers in AI-ready data centers and cloud infrastructure, as noted by the Singapore Economic Development Board, driving the region's growth as a global arena for cloud and AI innovation. While Malaysia has established itself as one of Asia's premier AI factory hubs, the Philippines represents a high-potential emerging market for AI infrastructure. Aolani's deployment in the Philippines is expected to be among the first large-scale AI infrastructure platforms in the country, broadening access to advanced AI compute and supporting the buildout of essential AI infrastructure in Asia.
Nicholas Chia, Chief Executive Officer at Aolani, said: "This collaboration with NVIDIA marks a defining moment in Aolani's mission to deliver world-class AI compute at the speed that matches the pace of AI development, and on infrastructure that is compliant, accountable, and trusted to perform. Southeast Asia is rapidly emerging as a key global node for the next wave of global AI buildout, and we are well-positioned to lead this. We are excited to work with new partners and customers to build the Southeast Asian AI ecosystem and cement the region's central role in the global AI landscape."
The collaboration underscores Southeast Asia's growing importance in the global AI landscape. By significantly expanding AI compute capacity and democratizing access, Aolani and NVIDIA are positioning the region as a key player in the next wave of AI innovation. This move is expected to spur economic growth, foster local AI talent, and attract further investment, solidifying Southeast Asia's role as a global powerhouse for AI.
