KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Malaysia is focusing on attracting high-impact investments in the technology sector including artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy, with the total value of approved investments from January to June reaching RM190.3 billion.
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong said his ministry (MITI) and its agency, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), are always proactive in introducing new policies and strategies to increase Malaysia’s competitiveness in the hi-tech sector, which is increasingly gaining the confidence of international investors.
Among the government’s measures are the implementation of the New Investment Policy, the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP), the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), and the Green Investment Strategy.
In addition, the New Investment Incentive Framework focuses on the digital and green sectors, while the Digital Investment Office was established as a collaboration between MIDA and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to facilitate digital investment, Liew said during the winding up debate by MITI on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) at Dewan Negara today.
Other measures include strengthening the supply chain ecosystem between local and multinational companies, setting conditions for local vendor collaboration, implementing industrial training programmes and developing an i-Services Portal to connect service providers with investors.
He said the government is also providing a conducive ecosystem such as the 5G network to accommodate technology investment needs.
The government is promoting automation in the manufacturing sector to reduce dependence on foreign workers in line with the Malaysia Madani aspirations and the NIMP.
In the first half of this year, Malaysia successfully attracted approved investments worth RM190.3 billion in various economic sectors, an increase of 18.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.
The total involved 3,011 projects, which are expected to generate 89,294 job opportunities.
Foreign investments amounted to RM106.8 billion or 56.1 per cent while local investments amounted to RM83.5 billion or 43.9 per cent.
Of this amount, the focus sectors under the National Investment Aspirations (NIA) contributed RM88.3 billion or 46.4 per cent involving 426 projects, with the potential to create 33,891 new jobs.
The sectors include the digital economy, electrical and electronics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and aerospace.
“This achievement has borne fruit when Malaysia’s position in the World Competitiveness Ranking 2025 rose 11 places, from 34th to 23rd, which is the best since 2020,” said Liew.
Based on the Madani Economy aspiration of making Malaysia among the 12 most competitive countries by 2030, the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) is implementing a series of engagements with stakeholders to continue to improve the country’s performance in the upcoming competitiveness report, he added.
