Malaysia eyes homegrown AI solutions for ASEAN and beyond

Malaysia is seeking to move beyond developing digital infrastructure and computing capacity by building artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that can generate economic value and address practical needs across industries, Communications Minister Dato’ Seri Fahmi Fadzil said.

Speaking at the inaugural WAIC CONNECT Malaysia 2026, Fahmi said Malaysia’s AI ambitions should focus on applications that strengthen key sectors, including semiconductors and electronics, advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, supply chains and public services.

“The distinction we must now make is between having digital infrastructure and being a place where AI is developed, deployed and applied,” he said.

He said the Government’s National AI Action Plan 2026-2030, also known as AI Nation 2030, targets an additional 0.8 to 1.2 percentage points of annual GDP growth, equivalent to about RM13 billion to RM20 billion annually.

The plan also aims to create between 300,000 and 500,000 new AI-related jobs, while ensuring that AI-driven growth creates opportunities for younger Malaysians.

Malaysia targets stronger regional AI role

Fahmi welcomed Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s commitment to nurture 30,000 Malaysian AI talents and develop 200 local AI partners over the next three years through engagements, knowledge transfer, and cloud and AI collaborations.

Huawei Asia Pacific president Terry He said Malaysia was well positioned to become a regional AI hub because of its connectivity, growing computing capacity and energy advantages.

“Malaysia is on track to host around two-thirds of ASEAN’s data centre capacity by 2035,” he said, adding that the country could help empower AI development across the region.

He said Huawei would focus on strengthening secure and green digital infrastructure, accelerating AI adoption across industries and building an open innovation ecosystem supporting Malaysian developers, startups and partners.

China-Malaysia cooperation expands AI opportunities

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing highlighted China’s expanding intelligent technology sector, noting that more than 10,000 smart bionic robots were exported to over 90 countries and regions during the first half of the year.

“As modern Chinese tech firms invest heavily in Malaysia’s AI sector and data centre infrastructure, and as the universities from both countries speed up cooperative innovation in cutting-edge fields like AI and advanced engineering, AI is rapidly emerging as the dynamic new growth engine for China-Malaysia cooperation,” he said.

Held from September 7 to 8 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, WAIC CONNECT Malaysia 2026 brought together more than 1,000 industry experts and over 80 ecosystem partners from Malaysia, China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

The event, an international extension of China’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference, featured keynote sessions, forums, an offsite exchange and more than 40 technology showcases under the theme “Innovating for a Green and Intelligent Malaysia”.