TROOPS, Inc. (Nasdaq: TROO), a Hong Kong-based financial services and property group, is committing US$12 million to establish a new business unit focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure in Southeast Asia. The move, reported by NEWMEDIAWIRE, positions the company to enter a market that has attracted more than US$55 billion in investment over the past year. The new unit will offer services including GPU-as-a-Service, AI inference, edge computing, decentralized compute, cloud orchestration, and other AI developer services.
The venture is being pursued through a future partnership with Bfarms365 LLC, a Texas-based company. TROOPS is currently evaluating sites, partnerships, and assets across Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with an initial allocation of US$6 million expected by the end of 2026. This strategic expansion comes as Southeast Asia emerges as a key hub for AI infrastructure in Asia Pacific. Data center capacity in Malaysia's Johor state doubled over the past year, according to figures presented at the China-ASEAN Business Leaders Summit in September. Telecom operators are also investing heavily: Singtel is expanding its Nxera platform, SK Telecom raised US$2.2 billion for its AI data center vehicle, and Reliance Jio is developing its own campuses.
"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 existing portfolio includes two licensed money lenders in Hong Kong, commercial property for rental income, an insurance consultancy, and an online financial technology marketplace providing credit and insurance products through APIs. Group revenue rose 70% to US$17.1 million in the year to December 31, 2025. TROOPS also holds a 19.9% stake in HK Golden, Inc., operator of one of Hong Kong's largest online forums.
"This new venture provides strong unity with our existing business interests," said Tommy Wing Ling Lui, CTO of TROOPS, Inc. "We already run machine learning inside underwriting and servicing, on infrastructure we rent. 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." The new unit is expected to complement TROOPS's core focus on fintech and infrastructure, while tapping into the region's rapid digital transformation. For more information about TROOPS, please visit www.troops.co or http://www.troops.co.
The company will report progress as definitive terms are reached and will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission where required. This investment underscores the growing importance of AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia, where demand for compute power is surging. By entering this space, TROOPS aims to leverage its existing expertise in fintech and technology to capture a share of the expanding market, potentially driving future growth and shareholder value.
