PM Anwar Wants NCIA To Seize Opportunities To Strengthen Semiconductor Industry

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 (Bernama) -- The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) must seize the opportunity to empower the development of the semiconductor industry in advanced packaging (AP) following the collaboration between the government and Arm Holdings Plc.

The senior press secretary to the Prime Minister, Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants action to be taken to strengthen industry applications and the high-value manufacturing (HVM) ecosystem, as well as to develop a high-value technology ecosystem and supply chain for impactful investments.

Yesterday, Anwar launched a strategic collaboration between the government and Arm to establish a new ecosystem in the artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industries through a US$250 million investment by Malaysia (US$1 = RM4.44) in the coming decade.

He said Anwar described Malaysia's collaboration with the world's largest chip architecture designer as a step that would elevate and add value to the country’s semiconductor and AI industries.

Tunku Nashrul made this statement during the daily briefing from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which was broadcast live on Anwar Ibrahim's and the PMO Malaysia's Facebook pages today.

He said the Prime Minister sees the increase in investment in high-value industries as requiring a sufficient and skilled workforce. "Effective talent development is crucial to optimise the benefits of high-value and high-tech investments," he added.

Following this, he said Anwar wants NCIA’s role, together with the private sector, to act as a catalyst for the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) to encourage the growth of high-tech semiconductor industries in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and Malaysia.

He added that the prime minister also wants a comprehensive talent development ecosystem to investments in the northern region, which includes tertiary-level skill development programmes, strategic intervention programmes to enhance graduate employability, and worker skill enhancement programmes.

At the same time, Tunku Nashrul also reported that for the NCER area, a total of RM64.7 billion in investments and more than 14,000 job opportunities were successfully realised in 2024.

"This shows the importance of making quick decisions on any investment proposals brought by both local and foreign investors," he said. 

-- BERNAMA