KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Investments from technology companies in Malaysia will definitely improve and enhance the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the country, said Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Chang Lih Kang.

He said this in response to questions from reporters regarding TikTok owner ByteDance’s plan to invest RM10 billion in Malaysia.

"When technology companies invest in Malaysia to expand their operations, they will help us enhance the AI ecosystem.

"This means more computing power and more data centres. I believe this will help us build infrastructure and encourage the adoption of AI,” he told reporters after officiating at the National Science Week Carnival 2024, today.

Regarding Nvidia’s investment, Chang mentioned how the government could utilise its investment in terms of technology and expertise.

"Nvidia is investing with Malaysian partners. We foresee a transfer of technology, which will help us in terms of infrastructure. They will establish data centres using GPUs (graphics processing units) with high computing power. This will help us push AI development in our country,” he said.

Additionally, he said Mosti, through the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI), has established an AI sandbox in collaboration with Nvidia to benefit from its expertise.

"Nvidia has also discussed and agreed to provide cloud credits to Malaysia for AI start-ups in our country,” he added. — Bernama