07/07/2025

BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | JULY 7, 2025

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Sabah’s trade resilient, reaches RM107.8b in 2024

o Growth of 2.7% from 2023, value exceeds RM100b mark for third consecutive year

PETALING JAYA: Sabah’s trade remained resilient with a total value of RM107.8 billion in 2024, surpassing the RM100 billion mark for the third consecutive year since 2022, said Chief Statistician of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin. On a year-on-year basis, Sabah’s total trade registered growth of 2.7%. Mohd Uzir said exports amounted to RM61.3 billion in 2024, a decline of 2.3% compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, imports increased by 10.2% to RM46.4 billion from RM42.2 billion.

At global level, there was an increase in imports from Indonesia (+RM418.4 million, +49.7%), Thailand (+RM112 million, +7.5%), and China (+RM101 million, +2.4%). According to general categories, the increase in imports for Sabah is supported by the food and beverage category at 10.2% and the industrial supplies category at 9%. Peninsular Malaysia contributed 46.8% of Sabah’s total trade. At the international level, Sabah’s main trading partners were China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and India, with a contribution of 26.8%.

Peninsular Malaysia recorded a decline of 7.2% or RM1.6 billion, amounting to RM20.5 billion in 2024. The decrease was due to a decline in export of several major commodities, including crude petroleum (-RM1.9 billion, -10.6%), palm oil (RM45.2 million, -6.5%), and palm-based oleochemicals (-RM17.2 million, - 44.8%). Meanwhile, the increase in Sabah’s imports in 2024 was supported by higher imports from Peninsular Malaysia, which rose 14.9% or RM3.9 billion from RM26 billion in the previous year.

products at RM5.2 billion, manu factured fertilisers RM1 billion and palm-based oleochemicals RM266 million). Mohd Uzir explained that Sabah’s exports encompass both trade transactions on international and interregional (Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak) based on physical transactions at the entry/exit points of Sabah. From the international pers pective, Sabah’s exports increased by 0.9% or RM338.8 million compared with RM38.9 billion in the previous year. However, exports from Sabah to

“The higher growth in imports compared to exports resulted in a 27.9% decline in the trade balance, with a lower trade surplus of RM14.9 billion in 2024,” he said. The three main commodities contributing to Sabah’s exports in 2024 were crude petroleum valued at RM21.3 billion, followed by palm oil RM17.3 billion and liquefied natural gas RM4.6 billion. Overall, exports of these main commodities amounted to RM43.2 billion or 70.4% of Sabah’s total exports. As for imports, the main contributors were refined petroleum

DayOne prioritises efficient usage of energy and water

JOHOR BAHRU: Global pioneer in digital infrastructure platform, DayOne Data Centers (DayOne) is focusing on optimising its energy and water consumption to support Malaysia’s sustainability goals while maintaining high-performance operations as global demand for digital infra structure surges. DayOne Data Centers Malaysia Sdn Bhd general manager Jimmy Yan said data centres inherently consume a significant amount of electricity and water to power servers and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and efficiency remains the company’s core strategy. “If you talk about daily con sumption, we’re looking at a few million litres of water per day. But rather than absolute numbers, we measure efficiency using indicators like power (PUE) and water utili sation efficiency (WUE). “Our PUE and WUE remain at relatively low levels, and that’s a better gauge of performance,”he told Bernama in an interview recently. Johor is expected to host 60% of Malaysia’s total data centre capacity by 2030, cementing its role as the digital hub for Southeast Asia, where transformation will be accelerated by the Johor-Singapore Special Eco nomic Zone. Yan said several of DayOne’s facilities use “zero water” cooling technologies to eliminate water dependency, although such systems require higher

energy input. “There’s always a trade off. If you don’t use water, you end up using more power. So we try to strike a balance by adopting the most efficient technologies.” The company also emphasises green energy adoption, including rooftop solar installation and colla boration with Tenaga Nasional Bhd through the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS) to source solar energy. The agreement enables DayOne to secure up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy over a 21-year term to support its data centre operations in Malaysia, making DayOne the first company to execute a bilateral energy supply contract under CRESS. “Solar does not reduce overall power consumption, but it replaces brown energy with green energy. So we are tackling this on two fronts, reducing waste through efficiency and replacing traditional sources with renewables,”Yan said. As Malaysia positions itself as a regional digital hub, DayOne believes building infrastructure responsibly is crucial. “We cannot afford to fall behind. Digital infrastructure is a must, and we are making sure it grows in harmony with sustainability,” he said. Headquartered in Singapore, DayOne positions the Singapore– Johor–Riau region as a critical inter connected data centre hub.

AirAsia signs US$12.25b deal with Airbus for 50 A321XLRs and rights for 20 more Anwar (centre) looks on as Fernandes (third, left) and Scherer (third, right) display the signed documents in Paris on Friday.

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital A Bhd, has signed a landmark agree ment with Airbus valued at US$12.25 billion (RM51.75 billion) for 50 A321XLRs with rights for 20 more. With the agreement, the airline is taking a major step towards be coming the world’s first low-cost narrow-body network carrier, an chored by its multihub strategy. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2028 through 2032. Witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the agreement was signed recently in Paris between Capital A CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, and Airbus Com mercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer. Fernandes, who is also adviser and steward of AirAsia Group, said: “We pioneered low-cost travel in Asia – now we are taking it to the next level. AirAsia is on a transformative journey to become the world’s first

The next-generation A321XLRs will operate alongside AirAsia’s all Airbus fleet of A320 and A330 air craft, supporting its long-term strategy to deliver connectivity across Asia and beyond, while main taining a low-cost model through improved route economics, en hanced aircraft utilisation and fleet efficiency. AirAsia Group aims to carry 150 million guests annually by 2030, reaching a cumulative total of 1.5 billion guests since inception. The new fleet plays a pivotal role in this transformation. AirAsia’s multi aircraft strategy enables the airline to match capacity with demand, reduce fuel consumption and support a sustainable, cost-effective growth model in a highly competitive global landscape. The A321XLR offers up to 20% lower fuel burn per seat than the Airbus A321neo aircraft, significantly improving emissions performance and operating efficiency.

low-cost network carrier. This is about exponential growth, con necting geographies beyond Asean, and making flying even more demo cratic. “We gave people in Asean the opportunity to explore Asia – now we want the world to see Asean, and Asean to see the world. The A321XLR and A321LR are the game-changers enabling this vision, and we are proud to lead the charge in making our world smaller. We can’t wait to paint the skies even wider in red.” Scherer said: “We are pleased to confirm this agreement, as AirAsia Group begins its next development chapter. Having resumed its growth trajectory, which we salute and support, the airline is creating solid fleet efficiencies, allowing global network expansion. The A321XLR unlocks new opportunities for AirAsia to launch non-stop flights linking primary and secondary cities all around the globe.”

Yan speaking at an interview at DayOne Nusajaya Tech Park Data Center Campus in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. – BERNAMAPIC