KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Malaysian technology

firm Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX) and Google Cloud

on Monday announced a multi-year deal to provide sovereign cloud

services in the country.

The announcement comes as the Alphabet unit expands

its footprint in the Southeast Asian country. Google said in May

it would invest $2 billion to develop its first data centre and

Google Cloud region in Malaysia.

The partnership was aimed at addressing demand for cloud

solutions that meet strict data residency, security, and privacy

requirements, particularly within regulated industries like

public services, financial services, healthcare, and energy, the

firms said in a joint statement.

Under the agreement, DNeX would be authorised to operate

Google Distributed Cloud, which provides "air-gapped" solutions

for Malaysian organisations - meaning it can operate without

connection to the Internet or a Google Cloud region, they said.

The firms did not specify a value or timeframe for the deal.

"Google Cloud and DNeX will empower organizations with the

state-of-the-art distributed cloud infrastructure, developer

tools, and AI services they need to drive digital transformation

on their own terms," Vice President of Google Cloud Asia Pacific

Karan Bajwa said in the statement.

DNeX and Google Cloud were also exploring the creation of an

AI centre of excellence, a hub for nurturing local talent in

artificial intelligence, the firms said.