NVIDIA-YTL POWER’S AI INFRA PROGRESS BOOSTS MALAYSIA’S AI DRIVE -- PM ANWAR

From Nor Baizura Basri

GYEONGJU (South Korea), Oct 31 (Bernama) -- The Nvidia Corporation-YTL Power International Bhd partnership’s significant progress in building artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is an impetus to accelerate the country’s AI drive for the benefits of all Malaysians, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar also congratulated the two companies on achieving this significant milestone within 22 months.

“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. 

“Establishing our own sovereign AI is very important in developing a secure, trusted AI-enabled digital ecosystem,” said Anwar in a statement after meeting with Nvidia Corp founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang and YTL Power managing director Datuk Seri Yeoh Seok Hong.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which kicked off today.

Also present was Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

This was Anwar’s second meeting with the “newest tech megastar”, as described recently by the industry, with the last being in Putrajaya in 2023. 

Among key achievements are the successful completion of YTL Power’s state-of-the-art AI data centre facility in partnership with Nvidia at the 600MW YTL Green Data Centre Park in Kulai, Johor.

This facility, powered by liquid-cooled NVL72 Grace Blackwell (GB 200) GPUs, along with Ilmu, represents a major step forward in building Malaysia’s own sovereign AI.

In July last year, both companies developed AI infrastructure powered by green energy in Malaysia, backed by an investment worth RM10 billion. 

According to the statement, Malaysia has made huge strides in its aspiration to become an AI Nation in a short time. 

It launched the National AI Office under the Digital Ministry in December last year and has announced a set of initiatives to drive AI adoption in the country, including the development of a sovereign AI cloud and a range of programmes for AI upskilling and adoption in the public and private sectors. 

Malaysia also launched Ilmu, its first large language model, at the ASEAN AI Summit in August of this year.

Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said the government has earmarked RM5.9 billion in its 2026 budget to bolster the nation's AI sector. 

“The 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. 

“In alignment with the National Industrial Master Plan, we are accelerating the adoption and integration of AI across the manufacturing and manufacturing-related services sectors -- empowering industries to enhance productivity, competitiveness, and global relevance,” he said.

In a separate statement, Yeoh said it has become increasingly vital for nations to develop sovereign clouds to host government- and citizen-facing AI services.

“With the YTL AI Cloud now operational, and the launch of Ilmu -- our Malaysian-developed and owned large language model, Malaysia will be among the first in the region to benefit from 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,” he said. 

-- BERNAMA