LEMON BLOG

For the past couple of years, Malaysia's data centre story has mostly been framed as a win: big names coming in, billions in investment, and a growing reputation as a regional hub for cloud and AI infrastructure. But in Johor, that narrative has now met its first very public speed bump.

Starting today, Malaysia has moved from "controlled" e-waste imports to a full stop. Electronic waste (e-waste) is now officially placed under the Absolute Prohibition category in the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023. In plain terms, this isn't a tightening of rules or a new checklist. It's a complete ban on bringing e-waste into the country.

Malaysia's move toward e-Invoice isn't just about modernising paperwork. Six months into the rollout, the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) says it's already turning e-Invoice data into something very real: better visibility, better matching, and better tax compliance outcomes.

A new report says the Chinese government has given DeepSeek conditional approval to buy NVIDIA's H200 AI chips, with the details of those conditions still being finalised. The same reporting also says three other major buyers in China have been cleared under similar terms: ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent. Collectively, they were said to be approved for more than 400,000 H200 units.

If you're driving in (or through) Kuala Lumpur around Thaipusam weekend, this is one of those times where planning ahead isn't optional. With major roads being closed in stages to support the chariot procession, even a "normal" short drive can turn into a long detour if you get caught near the route.