Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia) placed a strong emphasis on digital twin technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and data governance as the key drivers for the future of urban development during the Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025 (SCEKL25). The three-day exhibition, officiated by Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo, served as a platform for policymakers, technologists and industry leaders to exchange ideas on how digital innovation can help manage the complex challenges of rapid urbanisation.

Huawei Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Simon Sun reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to advancing Malaysia’s digital transformation. He said that together with its ecosystem partners, Huawei aims to provide advanced smart city technologies designed to enhance national resilience and improve operational efficiency. According to him, these solutions will be instrumental in strengthening key areas such as traffic management, emergency response systems and flood preparedness, with the ultimate goal of enabling cities to sense, think and evolve.

The conference also featured the “Smart Cities 101: The Essential Fundamentals of Urban Transformation” forum session, where Nicholas Yong, Huawei Enterprise Sales Malaysia’s Vertical Solution Expert for the Government Sector, presented the concept of cognitive cities as the next stage in smart city development. Yong explained that cognitive cities rely on technologies such as digital twins, which serve as virtual representations of real-world environments. By leveraging smart poles and sensor-equipped infrastructure, he said, entire cities can now be digitally replicated. Real-time data, analytics and AI allow planners to better predict outcomes, optimise services and apply data-driven strategies for efficient urban management.

He described this evolution as the dawn of cognitive cities, where AI integration can deliver sustainable, personalised and inclusive urban experiences. Reinforcing this view, Huawei Enterprise Business Group’s Global Government Industry Scientist Nadim Abdulrahim highlighted the crucial role of data governance in creating successful smart cities. In his keynote address, “AI Cities: The Next Frontier?”, Abdulrahim stressed that AI adoption, together with robust governance frameworks and secure networks, will be decisive in building digital resilience. With AI projected to reach half of the global population by 2025 and the market expected to expand to as much as USD 15 trillion by 2030, he underscored the importance of leadership, regulatory frameworks and ownership of critical digital infrastructure such as cloud platforms and fibre networks.

At its pavilion, Huawei showcased a wide range of use cases that translated these ideas into tangible solutions. Among the highlights were Safe City initiatives, intelligent traffic and parking management, flood mitigation systems, smart healthcare, public governance and education, all interconnected through AI-powered platforms. The centrepiece of this ecosystem is the Intelligent Operation Command Centre, which Huawei positions as a critical tool not only for city-level administration but also as the backbone for a federal-level national command centre.

The Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025, held from 17 to 19 September, marked the first Southeast Asian edition of the globally recognised Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona. Co-organised by MDEC and Digital Nasional Berhad for the Ministry of Digital, the event demonstrated Malaysia’s ambition to place itself at the forefront of smart city innovation in the region, with Huawei Malaysia underscoring its role as a long-term partner in this transformation journey.