By Sharen Kaur
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's ambitions to become a leading regional hub for artificial intelligence (AI) took a major leap forward as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim met with Nvidia founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang and YTL Power International Bhd managing director Datuk Seri Yeoh Seok Hong in Gyeongju, South Korea, on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders Economic Summit 2025.
The meeting, also attended by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to advancing Malaysia's Sovereign AI strategy and strengthening the nation's position in the global digital economy.
It follows Anwar's first discussion with Huang in Kuala Lumpur in December 2023, which laid the groundwork for deep collaboration between Malaysia and Nvidia in AI infrastructure, research, and capability development.
In less than two years, Malaysia has achieved significant milestones in its AI transformation journey. These include the establishment of the National AI Office under the Digital Ministry, the rollout of a Sovereign AI Cloud, national-scale AI upskilling programmes, and the launch of ILMU, Malaysia's first large language model, unveiled at the Asean AI Summit in August. Together, these initiatives are driving Malaysia toward its vision of becoming an "AI Nation" by 2030.
A centrepiece of the discussion was the completion of YTL Power's state-of-the-art AI data centre, developed in partnership with Nvidia at the 600MW YTL Green Data Centre Park in Kulai, Johor. Equipped with Nvidia's cutting-edge liquid-cooled NVL72 Grace Blackwell (GB200) GPUs, the facility – one of the most advanced of its kind in the region – serves as the backbone of Malaysia's sovereign AI infrastructure. Combined with ILMU, it strengthens Malaysia's ability to develop and deploy AI models locally, ensuring data sovereignty, security, and scalability.
Anwar emphasised that Malaysia's AI strategy is designed to deliver long-term national benefits by boosting productivity, enhancing government services, and creating new opportunities across industries.
"Malaysia aims to become a leading AI nation by 2030, leveraging AI to boost productivity, enhance public services, and build a sustainable, inclusive, and ethical digital economy," he said.
"Establishing our own sovereign AI is very important in developing a secure, trusted AI-enabled digital ecosystem. I congratulate YTL and Nvidia on achieving this significant milestone and I sincerely hope that this will accelerate the AI drive for the benefit of all Malaysians," Anwar said in a statement issued by YTL Power.
Tengku Zafrul noted that the government's RM5.9 billion allocation under the 2026 Budget reflects a strong policy focus on AI-driven growth.
"This substantial investment underscores our unwavering commitment to positioning Malaysia as a premier regional hub for AI innovation and data centre excellence. We will continue to actively promote strategic investments in AI infrastructure, driving forward our mission to lead in digital transformation."
He added that Malaysia's AI strategy aligns with the National Industrial Master Plan (NIMP 2030), which prioritises technology integration across manufacturing and related services. By embedding AI into these sectors, Malaysia aims to enhance productivity, competitiveness, and global relevance.
Yeoh highlighted that sovereign AI capabilities will be central to the nation's digital resilience.
With the YTL AI Cloud now operational and ILMU launched, Malaysia stands among the first in the region to achieve true sovereign AI capabilities.
"We thank the government for its foresight in establishing the policy frameworks that have enabled the rapid advancement of AI infrastructure across the country."
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/business/corporate/2025/10/1305866/anwar-nvidia-ytl-advance-malaysias-ai-ambitions-south-korea-meet
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