MoU sparks Malaysia’s first edge AI system

The Star

Malaysia has recorded RM491bil of export value in semiconductor products between Jan and Oct this year, a significant figure that reflects the country’s aim to be a major player in the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry.   This amount represents a 1.5% increase from the previous year, said Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai during his speech at the launch of MSIA National E&E Forum 2024 on Monday (Nov 25).   Forum guest of honour Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong said Malaysia should take advantage of recent developments in technology, notably artificial intelligence (AI), to grow its semiconductor industry.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00For this year's forum, the semiconductor is a catalyst for the Malaysia economy.

00:11With 2024 coming to a close, I would like to reflect on what the industry has achieved

00:17and what the industry should be doing in 2025.

00:20So far, 2024 has been a good year for the semiconductor industry.

00:24Yang Amar Brahmat, Datuk Sri Arnold Ibrahim, our dear Prime Minister, launched the National

00:29Semiconductor Strategy in May 2024, which has garnered a lot of interest worldwide.

00:35We have received strong E&E investments in this year, and our E&E exports for the first

00:4110 months, from January to October 2024, is RM491 billion, which is up 1.5% compared to

00:49last year.

00:50I'm still hoping that it will reach RM600 billion by the end of this year.

00:56If we do that, that will be a record.

00:58Malaysians must change their mindset from mere users of technology to developers and

01:04inventors of technology.

01:06Only then will we get higher value creation, the higher profit pool, the higher-paying

01:13jobs.

01:14That's what I think YBLU has been advocating throughout.

01:17This is possible if we own the technology, not only using and manufacturing it.

01:23Malaysian talents, you can do it.

01:26You have the government's support, and you have our support as well.

01:35But we also gather here to ponder a very difficult geopolitical situation.

01:42We are all fully aware that the semiconductor industry is at the heart of geopolitical tension,

01:49and therefore we know that we are dealing with very difficult scenarios and very difficult

01:56situations in the years to come.

01:58The semiconductor industry offers huge opportunities for Malaysia, but at the same time, geopolitical

02:04risks are a double-edged sword.

02:07In the first place, the current wave of massive investment into the semiconductor industry

02:12in Malaysia over the past two or three years was initially prompted by the relocation of

02:17supply chains away from China due to US-China geopolitical competition.

02:22The competition has opened up a new opportunity for Malaysia, a window of opportunity for Malaysia.

02:29However, this is where, while we were chatting, I thought I'd steal from CS Mime, because

02:36we were talking about the same thing, but I wrote the speech before I talked to him.

02:41So really, I think great many things are alike.

02:45If Malaysia continues to stay as an outsourced manufacturing site, and not move up to do

02:53more sophisticated stuff, time and tide waits for no one.

02:59In no time, it will not be relevant.

03:03Either because the supply chain is home-shore to the United States and the more advanced

03:09economy, or the manufacturing work will be outsourced to a cheaper location.

03:14Then we'll be caught in the middle again.

03:18Malaysia, especially the semiconductor industry, will have to do more to create Malaysian technologies.

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