What the companies signed
On September 8, Firmus and OpenAI announced a multiyear strategic agreement. OpenAI will lease dedicated computing capacity at two Firmus sites under construction in Malaysia and become their anchor customer. [1 · Firmus] [2 · Reuters]
Firmus said that, including the new order, the capacity already contracted by all its customers exceeds 900 MW. Its portfolio includes operational data centers in Australia and Singapore, with five more facilities under development in the Asia-Pacific region. [1 · Firmus] [2 · Reuters]
The technical and financial limits of the announcement
Firmus plans to install NVIDIA Vera Rubin systems at its regional sites. The company previously received backing from NVIDIA, Jane Street, Blackstone funds and Coatue, and was valued at more than $10.5 billion in its latest financing. [2 · Reuters]
The OpenAI contract’s value, the commissioning dates for the two Malaysian facilities and the exact capacity reserved for this individual customer have not been disclosed. Reports of a possible Firmus initial public offering remain rumors and are not part of the confirmed agreement. [2 · Reuters]
Sources
- Firmus — OpenAI becomes an anchor customer in Malaysia — September 8, 2026
- Reuters — the Firmus–OpenAI agreement — September 8, 2026
Expert commentary
The deal shows frontier laboratories securing capacity across several regions, rather than only near their headquarters. For the customer, this creates redundancy and access to new power sites; for the data center owner, an anchor contract makes construction easier to finance. [1 · Firmus] [2 · Reuters]
The agreement’s significance should be assessed after disclosure of the launch schedule, actual utilization rate and minimum-payment terms. The nominal 900 MW refers to Firmus’s entire contract portfolio, rather than OpenAI alone. [1 · Firmus] [2 · Reuters]