- Gobind emphasised that inclusivity, affordability & trust will underpin Malaysia’s AI journey
- Green data centres powered by renewables, key to meeting AI demand while advancing climate goals
Malaysia is shaping its future as a strategic ‘AI Nation’ with Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo calling for artificial intelligence to be treated as a public good that benefits all rakyat, and not just a privileged few.
Speaking at the ASEAN AI Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, held recently in Kuala Lumpur, the minister outlined a rakyat-first agenda that links AI to national well-being, competitiveness and ASEAN leadership.
“AI must not be the preserve of large corporations or select communities. Our mission is to close the AI divide by making literacy, tools and compute power accessible to all — from schoolchildren in rural areas to SMEs and startups,” he said.
Gobind stressed that inclusivity, affordability and trust will underpin Malaysia’s AI journey. Among the key measures announced were the development of a Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy 2026–2030 and the creation of an independent Data Commission to oversee governance and public confidence in AI adoption. “Trust is not a given. It must be deliberately designed, rigorously tested and safeguarded,” he added.
The minister also placed emphasis on sustainability, pointing to green data centres powered by renewable energy as vital to meeting rising AI infrastructure demands while keeping pace with climate goals. Malaysia’s approach, he said, will align with ASEAN frameworks to ensure interoperability and shared benefits across the region.
The ASEAN AI Summit served as a lead-in to two major events next month — the Malaysia Digital Xceleration (MDX) Summit 2025 and Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur (SCEKL25) — where Malaysia will continue to showcase its AI, digital economy and smart governance leadership to the region and the world.
Experts call for unity, talent and investment to drive nation’s AI future
Following the keynote, a panel titled ‘Powering Malaysia’s AI Future: A Coordinated National Agenda’ examined how to turn policy into practice. Moderated by PwC Malaysia CEO Sundara Raj, it featured the ministry’s secretary-general Fabian Bigar, National AI Office (NAIO) CEO Sam Majid and MDEC CEO Anuar Fariz Fadzil.
Fabian explained that the ‘AI Nation’ vision tagline was deliberately chosen to give Malaysia a ‘true north’, ensuring that every stakeholder — government, business, academia and the rakyat — has a role to play. He said that while Malaysia has long embraced a whole-of-government approach, the scale of AI demands a ‘whole-of-nation’ response.
“We must anchor digitalisation on AI,” said Fabian, adding that Malaysia cannot rest on its laurels and needs to continue prioritising research output, patents and especially talent. “Our nation needs 50,000 AI professionals annually, and with the right focus on skills and innovation, Malaysia can build a workforce that not only meets local demand but positions us as a regional hub for AI expertise,” he added.
Fabian also highlighted the role of agencies like MDEC in providing agility where traditional bureaucracy is cautious. He called for bolder risk-taking and clearer prioritisation, urging policymakers and industry alike to identify the ‘Ten extraordinary things’ Malaysia must do to transform its AI ambitions into tangible outcomes.
He added that Malaysia’s near-universal internet coverage and rising digital economy contribution to GDP provided a solid foundation, and that stronger coordination is needed to channel these gains into AI readiness.
For Sam, the challenge is to bring coherence and direction to Malaysia’s fast-evolving AI landscape. He described NAIO as the ‘orchestrator’ of the National AI Roadmap 2026–2030, which is due to be released within weeks.
“Without a whole-of-nation approach, everyone will go their own way,” he said.
Sam highlighted three core roles for NAIO. First, to act as a strategic driver by synchronising policy, funding, infrastructure and talent across government, industry and academia.
Second, to serve as a platform for collaboration, bringing together ministries, private sector players, researchers and civil society into flagship projects that showcase collective progress. And finally, to act as a guardian of responsible and sovereign AI, introducing frameworks for governance, sovereign models and AI safety through a forthcoming advisory task force.
He added that Malaysia must also address the talent bottleneck head-on. The roadmap, he said, contains a dedicated chapter on AI talent, from K-12 education pipelines to professional reskilling, alongside a registry of Malaysian AI experts abroad to harness the diaspora’s expertise. He called for stronger national infrastructure to fuel AI innovation, calling data ‘the new oil’ and urging broader data-sharing frameworks and national-scale AI models, including large language models tailored to key sectors.
MDEC CEO: Public-private partnerships key to scaling Malaysia’s AI ambitions
Anuar then brought the discussion down to the realities of investment, ecosystem building and policy change. Drawing on MDEC’s direct role in catalysing industry growth, he stressed that the government cannot drive AI transformation alone.
“Innovation often comes also from the private sector. Our role is to create the right and most conducive environment for risk-taking, collaboration and scaling Malaysian AI solutions globally,” he said.
Anuar also underlined the need for agility in strategic public-private partnerships: “AI moves at a pace that outstrips traditional processes, ” he said, before calling for greater involvement of venture capital, industry associations and global partners.
MDEC, as the ‘lead vocalist and guitarist’, already works closely with technology giants like Microsoft, Google and AWS, as well as local startups. For him, Malaysia’s advantage lies in our nation’s ability to balance ambition with pragmatism.
“Let us know what sort of policy change is needed. Let us know the environment we must build to make Malaysia the ‘perfect lab for AI’. That’s how we can leap forward together,” he told the audience.
By pointing to both the realities of investment and the need for structural agility, Anuar showed how Malaysia could balance ambition with pragmatism to secure a competitive edge in the region.
“Through bold collaboration and clear direction, Malaysia can move beyond just adopting AI to shape a future that reflects our nation’s values, strengthen our economy and inspire the region,” he said.
“Public-private partnerships give us the agility to experiment, scale and adapt. And with clear policies, capital and talent in place, Malaysia would then serve as a living lab for AI where innovation is created here, tested here and shared with the world.”
Moderator Sundara Raj then concluded the session with a quote from Henry Ford: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Malaysiakini and Digital News Asia are the Media Partners for the Malaysia Digital Xceleration (MDX) Summit 2025 and Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025 (SCEKL25).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
