SHAH ALAM, Oct 22 — India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia B.N. Reddy has lauded the state government’s leadership and vision in driving innovation and talent development through international collaboration.
He described the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and the Selangor-backed Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (Asem) that took place today as a significant milestone in Malaysia-India relations.
Speaking at the ceremony attended by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, Reddy said the partnership represents a vital foundation to advance the two nations’ cooperation in the semiconductor industry.
“This collaboration is an important building block in the joint efforts of the Selangor government as well as the Federal governments of Malaysia and India in the field of semiconductors,” he said at the State Secretariat Building today.
Reddy added that discussions are ongoing to finalise a government-to-government MOU on semiconductor cooperation, reflecting the sector's growing strategic importance.
In his speech, the senior diplomat commended Selangor’s proactive approach in turning dialogue into tangible action.
“Today’s event is very symbolic of action first, agreements later. With this initiative, we are going to see on-the-ground collaboration between institutes and the launch of joint activities, while governments work towards formalising the framework agreements,” he said.
Reddy noted that the collaboration between IIT Madras and Asem reflects the elevation of India-Malaysia ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to India in August last year.
The visit has opened several doors for deeper cooperation between the two nations, especially in emerging technologies.
He also highlighted India’s push in the semiconductor industry, with an investment of USD$30 billion (RM126.9 billion) to strengthen its semiconductor and display ecosystems, electronics manufacturing, and related sectors.
“The determination in India is to go across the entire value chain of the semiconductor industry,” he said, referring to large-scale investments such as Tata Electronics’ USD$10 billion (RM42.30 billion) facility and Micron’s USD$2.7 billion (RM11.42 billion) project,” said Reddy.
He said that IIT Madras serves as a model of how academia can drive deep-tech entrepreneurship and innovation, with more than 450 startups on its campus valued at up to US$6.5 billion (RM27.49 billion).
“IIT Madras is creating an ecosystem of innovation and deep-tech entrepreneurship. They have been able to integrate startups, research, academic programmes, and intellectual property commercialisation in a very effective way,” said Reddy.
The high commissioner is confident that Asem will grow as a strong player in bridging semiconductor skills and empowering local talent.
“This collaboration is not just about institutions, it is about building bridges between India and Malaysia, between industry and academia, and between today’s talent and tomorrow’s opportunities,” he said.
Those in attendance at the ceremony include state executive councillor for investment, trade, and mobility Ng Sze Han, Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation chief executive officer (CEO) Yong Kai Ping, IIT Madras CEO Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, and Asem general manager Angel Low.
