TROOPS, Inc. (Nasdaq: TROO), a Hong Kong-based financial services and property group, announced a US$12 million commitment to establish a new business unit focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure in Southeast Asia. The move positions the company to tap into a market that has attracted more than US$55 billion in investment over the past year, according to the announcement distributed via NEWMEDIAWIRE. The new unit will offer services including GPU-as-a-Service, AI inference, edge computing, decentralized compute, cloud orchestration, and other AI developer services, pending a future partnership with Bfarms365 LLC, a Texas-based company.
The strategic rationale is clear: Southeast Asia has emerged as a critical hub for AI infrastructure in Asia Pacific. Data center capacity in Malaysia's Johor state doubled over the last twelve months, as noted at the China-ASEAN Business Leaders Summit in September 2026. Major telecom operators are investing heavily: Singtel is expanding its Nxera platform, SK Telecom raised US$2.2 billion from KKR and an IMM-Stonebridge consortium for its AI data center vehicle, and Reliance Jio is developing its own campuses. TROOPS aims to complement these efforts with its new unit, which is evaluating sites and partnerships across Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The first allocation of US$6 million is expected by the end of 2026.
For TROOPS, this venture represents a natural extension of its existing business, which includes money lending, property investment, and an online financial technology marketplace. "Southeast Asia has become the place where Asia's compute is actually being built, and the capital going in is no longer only American," said Damian Thurnheer, President and CEO of TROOPS, Inc. "Moving into this layer is a natural extension of our business, which has pioneered disruptive technologies including fintech." The company's group revenue rose 70% to US$17.1 million in the year to December 31, 2025, providing a solid financial foundation for this expansion.
The implications of this announcement are significant. By owning AI infrastructure capacity, TROOPS can enhance its machine learning capabilities in underwriting and servicing, which currently rely on rented infrastructure. "Owning capacity in the region changes what we can build, and it puts us on the right side of a market where operators, banks, and sovereign funds are all moving at once," said Tommy Wing Ling Lui, CTO of TROOPS, Inc. This vertical integration could lead to cost efficiencies and new revenue streams, while also positioning TROOPS as a participant in the region's digital transformation. The move aligns with the company's vision of building synergy within its ecosystem and creating shareholder value. As the AI infrastructure market in Southeast Asia continues to grow, TROOPS's early entry could yield substantial returns, though the company will need to navigate competition from established telecom and technology players. Further details about TROOPS can be found at www.troops.co or http://www.troops.co.
