By Yasmin Ramlan
SUBANG JAYA, July 28 — Malaysian chipmakers must look beyond domestic borders and tap into fast-growing global markets, as the country positions itself as a leader of the semiconductor industry.
Speaking at the launch of Malaysia’s first training programme led by British integrated circuit (IC) design firm Arm and the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (Asem), Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari urged local companies not to confine themselves within national boundaries.
“As Asean chair, our companies must broaden their horizons to view this 680 million-strong market as a place to export chips. We cannot limit our thinking to within our borders; we must have the foresight to expand and maximise potential in Southeast Asia, as well as in markets like China, India, Brazil, and Africa.
“These five regions are the fastest growing populations in the world, and their people will need access to these chips as consumers of the modern digital economy. That, I believe, is where future opportunities lie,” he said in his officiating speech at Monash University Malaysia here today.
He expressed confidence that today’s partnership between Arm and Asem to nurture 10,000 engineers in Selangor over the next decade will bolster the state’s efforts in the sector.
[caption id="attachment_409273" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari seen with attendees of the launch of Arm On-Demand Training, a programme borne from a partnership between the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia and chip design firm Arm Ltd, at Monash University, Subang Jaya, on July 28, 2025. — Picture via FACEBOOK/AMIRUDIN SHARI[/caption]
Amirudin said with the global demand for high-end chips soaring, Malaysia, especially Selangor, can no longer afford to be a “bit part player” in an industry projected to shape the future of the global economy for the next 30 years at least.
He highlighted the importance of intellectual property ownership in Malaysia’s semiconductor journey.
“This is so these chips are not just labelled ‘Assembled in Selangor’, but ‘Designed in Selangor’, or ‘Made in Malaysia’.”
Amirudin said the Arm training programme will help the state government achieve its goal of creating 100,000 quality, high-paying jobs for Selangor youth, a pledge made by Pakatan Harapan in its 2023 state election campaign.
He noted that since the polls, the state’s economy has grown by RM48.1 billion to RM432.1 billion, with Selangor contributing 26.2 per cent of the national GDP last year.
“Today’s (Asem-Arm) partnership will seek to accelerate this by training 10,000 local engineers in the fields of chip design, manufacturing, and assembly, which will go on to power systems and supercomputers in the not-too-distant future,” Amirudin said.
