SHAH ALAM, Oct 22 — The Selangor government’s partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will ensure local students gain access to world-class learning and innovation facilities, said state executive councillor for investment, trade, and mobility Ng Sze Han.
The collaboration marks a milestone in the state’s effort to strengthen its position within the global technology and semiconductor ecosystem, especially as India is home to nearly 20 per cent of the world’s chip design engineers.
“If we can partner with IIT Madras, the number one university in India for engineering and among the world’s top 20 for graduate employability, our students can get direct access to world-class innovation,” he said.
Ng was speaking during the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between IIT Madras and the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (Asem) at the State Secretariat Building today.
He added that the collaboration stemmed from a mission to India in July, where he led a delegation from the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) and Asem to explore partnerships with Indian institutions, including IIT Delhi and IIT Madras.
“I had a great discussion with Professor Kamakoti, the director of IIT Madras. He said something that stuck with me: ‘We want to shorten the gap, so students can get the right jobs’. I could not agree more,” Ng said.
Under the MOU, Asem and IIT Madras will roll out two flagship programmes next year: the Graduate Skilling Programme, focusing on RISC-V and computer architecture, and a Joint Academic Pathway with Unisel, where the university’s Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering will be revamped in collaboration with IIT Madras.
Graduates will receive a degree from Unisel and an additional certification from IIT Madras, benefitting 350 participants in the first year.
“This partnership also allows IIT Madras to expand its expertise into Southeast Asia, with Selangor as its main partner,” he said.
Ng noted that the collaboration serves as a bridge connecting two countries, two institutions, and two communities of innovators, with talent development remaining central to Selangor’s growth strategy.
“In technology, the best investment is always in people. We can build great infrastructure, but without skilled minds, we cannot move forward. This is why Selangor’s strategy is always people first.
“Through this partnership, Asem and IIT Madras will train the next generation of engineers, the people who will design the innovations of tomorrow,” he said.
In just over a year, the councillor said that Asem has trained over 600 students, partnered with 65 universities, and collaborated with industry leaders like ARM and Synopsys.
The academy aims to train 20,000 engineers over the next decade.
Among those present during today’s ceremony were Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, High Commissioner of India to Malaysia B.N. Reddy, Sidec chief executive officer (CEO) Yong Kai Ping, IITM Global CEO Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, and Asem general manager Angel Low.
