Economy Minister Mohd Rafizi Ramli announced in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (6 November) that the government is actively spearheading the transformation of Malaysia into a regional artificial intelligence (AI) hub.
He emphasised the creation of top-tier AI infrastructure in the region and the attraction of AI industry leaders to make Malaysia the central focal point for startups in the industry, according to The Edge Malaysia.
Rafizi indicated that this endeavour would be realised through the implementation of a new strategy and the enhancement of the AI ecosystem, both of which will be integral components of the Kuala Lumpur 20 (KL20) action plan, slated for launch in February 2024.
“KL20 aspires to accelerate the growth of the startup ecosystem in Malaysia, and attract global AI startups to operate in the country.
“This will automatically bring venture capital investments other than the subsectors outlined previously in the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint or MyDIGITAL,” he said.
In response to a query from Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (Perikatan Nasional-Indera Mahkota) regarding the current status of MyDIGITAL, Rafizi also disclosed that discussions had taken place with prominent global AI firms to facilitate the introduction of their technology into Malaysia.
He added, “Malaysia is able to provide startup companies with processing capacity for developing AI, and this is not available anywhere else”.
