KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is poised to emerge as a regional hub and centre of excellence for artificial intelligence (AI) in Southeast Asia, following the signing of a landmark partnership between Nvidia Corp and YTL Power International Bhd.
YTL Corp Bhd executive chairman Tan Sri Francis Yeoh described the partnership as a “blessing”.
“We are indeed blessed to be a partner of visionary Jensen Huang’s Nvidia and also to continue to play a role as a leaven to boost the productive use of AI in the Asean region,” Yeoh told Business Times.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the agreement marks a significant step in accelerating Malaysia’s AI capabilities.
The initiative, backed by a substantial investment of RM10 billion, underscores Malaysia’s ambition to position itself at the forefront of AI innovation.
“This landmark project includes the development of AI data centres, deployment of Nvidia’s high-performance graphics processing units and, most importantly, the creation of Malaysia’s own sovereign large language model (LLM),” Tengku Zafrul shared on X.
The sovereign LLM is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing Malaysia’s digital autonomy by enabling the creation of AI solutions tailored to local languages, cultures and industries — supporting national security and propelling digital economic growth.
YTL Power, a unit of YTL Corp, will lead the physical development of the AI infrastructure.
The company is also tasked with building a robust AI ecosystem by engaging global technology firms, local suppliers and local contractors, ensuring strong domestic participation.
Tengku Zafrul added that the partnership is a direct result of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s international engagement efforts, which have opened the door to high-impact investments with the potential to reshape Malaysia’s economic and technological future.
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