Tech Weekly | 26 May – 1 June 2025
Data-centre deals, drone ambition & 3-D-printed breakthroughs drive construction tech forward
Tech Weekly | 26 May – 1 June 2025
Data-centre deals, drone ambition & 3-D-printed breakthroughs drive construction tech forward
Main Story — Sunway Construction banks RM 1.16 billion in hyperscale data-centre wins
Kuala Lumpur–based Sunway Construction Group (SunCon) has secured two turnkey contracts, worth a combined RM 1.16 billion (US $280 million), to build next-generation data centres for a US tech giant in Johor and Selangor.
The projects demand wafer-thin completion windows and ultra-low-carbon credentials. SunCon says it will deploy:
Digital twins for clash-free design coordination and continuous progress comparisons.
Prefabricated MEP “skids” produced off-site and slotted into place to shave weeks from fit-out schedules.
Liquid-cooling infrastructure modelled in CFD to keep server halls below 26 °C while cutting power-usage effectiveness (PUE) to < 1.25.
Analysts note that Malaysian contractors rarely lead hyperscale builds; SunCon’s win signals growing local capability in high-spec industrial projects. The contracts boost the firm’s order book beyond RM 8 billion and reinforce Malaysia’s bid to become Southeast Asia’s AI and cloud hub, following recent GPU-export curbs being lifted. Construction is due to finish in 1Q 2027, with SunCon promising “sub-2-year” build cycles thanks to its digital-first delivery model. Industry observers expect more local players to follow suit as data-centre demand—and associated tech requirements—surge nationwide.
Innovation Snippets
Malaysia launches DronTech Asia 2025 – A soft-launch in Putrajaya (29 May) unveiled the region’s first trade show dedicated to AI-integrated drones, urban-air mobility and counter-UAS tech. Organiser NAICO Malaysia wants the expo to align industry, academia and regulators as the nation pushes drone automation for surveying, progress tracking and security on megaprojects.
“Smart construction equals lower carbon,” Works Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Azman Ibrahim told the Smart Construction, Sustainable Cities forum (updated 27 May). He highlighted mandatory digital twins and IBS components in upcoming road and rail jobs as key levers to hit Malaysia’s 2050 net-zero target.
Tech resilience front-of-mind, says The Edge’s 30 May analysis urging contractors to double down on BIM, AI scheduling and real-time supply-chain dashboards to buffer price shocks and labour gaps. The article points to early adopters reporting double-digit productivity gains despite volatile material costs.
Global Innovation Watch
World’s tallest 3-D-printed tower (30 m) was completed in Switzerland on 29 May using a robotic layering system that trims 25 % of concrete by varying deposition rates—a technique Malaysian IBS players could adapt for high-rise core walls.
Autonomous aerial 3-D printing advanced: a Luleå University team (28 May) demonstrated drones that extrude repair mortar in “chunks,” potentially letting contractors patch façades without scaffolding.
Expert Insight
“DronTech Asia 2025 represents our collective ambition to align industry, academia and government in shaping Malaysia’s future mobility landscape.”
— Ts. Shamsul Kamar, CEO, National Aerospace Industry Corporation Malaysia (NAICO)