Tencent sets up a new KL hub to drive its AI, cloud, and digital work

• Tencent leaders expect strong growth in online business models and AI adoption in Malaysia.
• The move adds team space and strengthens its investment in local talent and digital work.

Tencent has opened a new office at Menara 1 Sentrum, adding another step in its growth in Malaysia. The move strengthens more than a decade of activity in the country and reflects the company’s long-term plan to build a wider base in the region.

Tencent entered Malaysia in 2013 and has since worked across games, entertainment, payments, AI, and cloud. The company doubled the size of its local team in 2025 and expects strong double-digit growth by the end of 2026. More than 90% of its Malaysia staff are specialists in areas such as development operations, data analysis, content review, and customer support. The new office can support up to 500 people, with room for more as the operation grows.

Building global work with local talent

The new space brings together Tencent’s Global Tech, Digital Innovation, and Customer Experience teams. These groups handle high-value digital work that supports the company’s worldwide operations while also contributing to Malaysia’s tech sector.

At the launch event, YB Gobind Singh Deo, Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, said, “Tencent’s expansion in Malaysia demonstrates the growth of our digital economy and the ability of the local workforce to meet the demands of leading internet companies in today’s deeply interconnected global economy. We welcome Tencent’s continued commitment and investment in Malaysia as a strategic base for talent development and global collaboration.”

Judy Wong, Country Manager of Tencent Malaysia, added, “Malaysia’s strong digital infrastructure, supportive policies, and highly skilled talent make it an ideal base for digital innovation. This new office marks the beginning of an exciting next chapter, where we will deepen our Cloud and AI innovation partnerships, support Malaysia’s digital ambitions, cross-border collaboration, and continue nurturing local creative and technology talent.”

A wider role in Malaysia’s digital growth

Tencent plans to expand its partnerships and business work in the country as Malaysia continues to build its digital economy.

During the opening ceremony, Tencent Cloud signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Opensys Technologies and Boost to support joint work on deploying Tencent Cloud’s PalmAI. The aim is to encourage local testing and development of new digital tools.

The company is also deepening its work in tourism, gaming, esports, and education. After Weixin Pay connected with PayNet in 2024, visitors from China began using DuitNow QR in Malaysia, which helped small merchants and increased travel spending. PayNet recorded a three-fold jump in transactions during China’s Golden Week in October.

More merchants are joining the Weixin/WeChat ecosystem as well. KLIA Express launched a Weixin Mini Program to reach more travellers from China ahead of the “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign.

In gaming and esports, Tencent is looking at hosting more global events in Malaysia. The Honor of Kings Nation Clash 2025 took place in Kuala Lumpur, where Team Malaysia won a US$40,000 prize pool. To support local talent, Tencent’s Level Infinite unit is working with Claz’room College to offer mentorship and internship paths for students.

Where Tencent sees strong growth ahead

Company leaders say the rise of online business models will continue to shape Malaysia’s digital economy. Kenneth Siow, General Manager of Singapore and Malaysia for Tencent Cloud International, said, “I think, first of all, we’re definitely seeing huge growth in the digital economy for Internet companies, where companies are leveraging the Internet to build their business models. One successful example is e-shopping.” He noted that better Internet access and lower latency in Malaysia will help more companies adopt similar models.

Kenneth expects more businesses—large and small—to experiment with online retail and related services. “What that practically means is that we will see many companies driving more e-commerce-type behaviours and e-retailing-type behaviours. And we’re going to see a lot more successful use cases,” he said. He pointed to the rise of live commerce in China as a sign of what may gain traction as adoption costs fall and use cases mature.

AI is another major area of demand. “We believe AI will be the next wave for technology companies—both traditional and digital-native—as they look to leapfrog into the next stage of the AI revolution,” Kenneth said. Traditional enterprises, for example, are exploring how to modernise contact centres with AI agents, multilingual tools, and workflow automation. Interest is also growing in healthcare and media, where companies want to use AI to improve information access and content production.

He described the next wave of opportunities in two parts: wider use of the Internet to build new business models, and stronger demand for practical AI tools that help companies move forward in their digital plans.

Judy Wong said Malaysia’s role extends beyond being a market. “We are not seeing Malaysia only as a market. We’re really seeing it as an innovation-based talent hub and a strategic location for our regional growth and global innovations,” she said. The company plans to hire more people and continue building talent programs with universities and government agencies to support skills in AI, cloud, gaming, and creative work.

James Yang, General Manager for Tencent Financial Technology in Asia Pacific, added that banks and financial firms are also turning to AI to reduce manual work. “For example, many financial institutions around the world are using facial recognition to improve the KYC process. We use these technologies ourselves—we developed these capabilities—so we’re confident we can help these companies,” he said. He noted that many organisations across different sectors have approached Tencent for support with their AI plans.

How partners support adoption and execution

Tencent’s work with partners also plays a role in customer adoption. Kenneth said, “Channel partners come in many forms and shapes. For example, some partners focus more on software development, some focus more on reselling, and some are a hybrid.”

He said Tencent adjusts its approach based on each partner’s needs. “Some partners tell us, ‘I have the relationships, but I don’t have the capabilities. Can you help with the selling while I bring in the opportunities?’ In that case, it becomes more of a reseller model.”

Others use Tencent’s core products to build new features and services. “Instead of us promoting, for example, this bottle of water, they can help package it better, make it more appealing, and make it more impactful,” he said.

Across all models, he said the goal remains the same: help customers move forward in their digital plans.

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