Speakers at the Third Digital Think Tank Network Roundtable (from left):
Associate Professor Dr Roy Anthony Rogers (UM), Associate Professor Ts Dr Aznul Qalid Md Sabri (UM), Associate Professor Dr Saaidal Razalli Azzuhri (UM), Associate Professor Dr Norisma Idris (UM), Oliver Liu (Huawei ASEAN Academy), Sean Lee (Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce), Mohd Al Hafidz Yahya (NAIO), William Law Kian Boon (NIH) and Max Lee (iFLYTEK).

Malaysia must accelerate the transition of artificial intelligence (AI) from isolated pilot projects to large-scale adoption if the nation is to remain economically competitive by 2030. This message took center stage at the Third Digital Think Tank Network Roundtable, co-hosted by Universiti Malaya (UM) and Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, which brought together leaders from government, academia and industry to chart the future of Malaysia’s AI ecosystem.

Held under the theme “Building Malaysia’s AI Ecosystem Toward 2030”, the roundtable highlighted the urgent need for scalable, sustainable AI deployment across key sectors. Participants agreed that while Malaysia has made progress in AI experimentation, broader impact will only be achieved through coordinated strategies that align policy, talent development, research commercialization and industry adoption.

Academia was recognized as a cornerstone of this effort. UM representatives emphasized the growing demand for AI and digital-related programmes, reflecting national needs for future-ready talent. Stronger collaboration between universities and industry was identified as critical to ensure that education and research translate into real-world applications. UM also announced plans to introduce a dedicated Bachelor’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence in 2026, aimed at strengthening the national AI talent pipeline.



Vice President of Huawei Cloud in Malaysia, Andy Wei delivering his opening remarks.

From an industry perspective, Huawei Malaysia underscored that global advances and lower AI training costs have reduced barriers to adoption, shifting focus from experimentation to scaled implementation. Huawei Cloud reiterated its commitment to making AI tools accessible, secure and affordable, while supporting talent development through initiatives that aim to train thousands of Malaysians in AI skills across the public and private sectors.

Discussions also addressed persistent challenges, including fragmented AI initiatives, shortages of industry-ready talent and slow research commercialization. Speakers called for clearer governance frameworks, better access to financing for local innovation and the treatment of data as a strategic national asset. Regional collaboration, particularly between Malaysia and China, was highlighted as a way to accelerate innovation and localize AI solutions, especially for small and medium enterprises.

In sectors such as healthcare and public services, experts stressed that AI should complement human expertise rather than replace it. Trusted AI deployment, supported by high-quality data, strong validation processes and secure systems, was seen as essential for sensitive environments. At the policy level, Malaysia’s AI Nation 2030 Vision was positioned as a key roadmap to transform the country from a technology consumer into a producer and regional AI hub.

Overall, the roundtable concluded that Malaysia’s success in building a competitive and sustainable AI ecosystem will depend on long-term collaboration between government, academia and industry. Clear policies, strong data governance, sustained research funding, ethical safeguards and international partnerships were identified as key enablers to move AI beyond pilots and into widespread, value-driven adoption.