Malaysia must build its own digital capabilities to ensure economic resilience, says Digital Minister

Malaysia’s future economic resilience will depend on its ability to build sovereign digital capabilities rather than merely host foreign technology infrastructure, its Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said on Thursday. Speaking at the Tech Sovereignty vs Dependency forum, Gobind said Malaysia must move beyond being a destination for global investment and instead become a creator of core digital technologies. While Malaysia has attracted major investments from global technology companies such as Microsoft and Google, he stressed that hosting infrastructure alone does not amount to ownership. “Sovereignty is no longer defined strictly by physical borders, but by the control of data, infrastructure, and intelligence, “If the capital, platforms, and intelligence are externally controlled, then the strategic advantage lies elsewhere. Without building our own alternatives, dependency remains,” he said. The minister said the government’s strategy is centered on several pillars, including strengthening infrastructure and connectivity through the JENDELA initiative and the nationwide 5G rollout led by Digital Nasional Berhad. He also highlighted efforts to encourage local innovation and talent development to enable Malaysians to build homegrown digital solutions instead of relying solely on foreign systems. On artificial intelligence, Gobind said the government is leveraging the National AI Roadmap and the AI Governance and Ethics framework to support responsible and scalable growth of the sector. During a follow-up discussion at the forum, he addressed concerns over how large-scale AI investments would benefit ordinary Malaysians facing rising living costs. He said developing Malaysia’s own “intelligence layer” would help improve public service delivery and strengthen government efficiency over time. Gobind acknowledged that achieving full digital sovereignty would take time as other countries continue to advance rapidly in the technology race. He said data integration across federal agencies has begun, but digitization efforts remain a priority as government data is still fragmented. “Data remains scattered, making digitization a critical priority for effective AI implementation,” he said. Gobind also pointed to the Government Innovation Initiative, which is aimed at crowdsourcing ideas and enabling the government to scale successful proposals across agencies. He added that building national AI capabilities quickly would require deeper collaboration between educational institutions and industry players to prepare a skilled talent pool. “This is not just about technology,” Gobind said. “It is about ensuring that the systems shaping our future remain within our control.” Meanwhile, Professor Duncan McDuie-Ra described SEADS as an interdisciplinary platform grounded in Southeast Asia and focused on developing locally informed solutions to global challenges. He said the initiative aimed to improve public services and promote safe and trustworthy AI while supporting evidence-based policymaking as AI reshapes economies worldwide. Malaysia boosts AI, semiconductor push for technological sovereignty amid global uncertainties