Embracing a Digital Future

Digitalisation is now the cornerstone of our economy and with the advent of the new normal, it is imperative that we familiarise ourselves with ICT to become enablers of the digital economy. Globally, the demand for digital content and services is ever-increasing, evident by Malaysia’s growing export to markets such as the US, Singapore, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China. 

Recording exports of over USD74 billion, the ICT industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Malaysia. The industry comprises predominantly creative content (animation and games) and ICT services which include manufacturing, licensing, consultancy, telecommunication and leasing services of ICT equipment.

Malaysian game development and animation studios are entertaining the world with engaging, award-winning content.

Tapping into the Creative Industry

The digital creative content industry is a strategic and important economic sector to many countries, including Malaysia. This industry is a next-gen industry that includes creating creative content and visual effects (VFX) in multimedia platforms such as animations, movies and video games.

Malaysian companies have successfully positioned themselves and exported their creative content and games globally. Their various offerings include game development (publish & develop games) projects, outsourcing creative content for 3D animation & Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), and creating digital content for media publishing houses.

Robots are deployed in an array of industries in Malaysia.

ICT & Industry 4.0 Services

The growth of the ICT sector is in line with the government’s agenda on empowering the digital economy, which will support and strengthen the national economic growth under the 12th Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025.  

Innovative and technology-driven companies particularly those specialising in automation and robotic solutions, play a vital role in ensuring the Malaysian manufacturing industry is in sync with Industry 4.0. Digitalisation and technology adoption in the manufacturing sector will help companies to be more resilient and cost-effective.

As the key enabler of digitalisation, the adoption and use of ICT, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) aim to increase productivity, efficiency, transparency and security. Governments worldwide including Malaysia, have been proactively digitalising their public services to make them more transparent and efficient, being a continuous improvement for future generations.

Consumers are migrating to the digital realm, primarily through eCommerce and online banking for quick and convenient transactions.  Some countries like the US, Finland, China, Sweden and Singapore have previously launched long-term strategies and initiatives to gain benefits of the digital economy. Malaysia has launched MyDIGITAL initiatives in 2021 to transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy.

Cybersecurity is critical in the digital transformation era. In this space, Malaysia ranked among the best in ASEAN to provide cybersecurity-related services. In 2020, Malaysia was ranked 5th worldwide in the Global Cybersecurity Index by International Telecommunication Union (ITU). 

Malaysia has a strong capability specialising in digital security as seen from increasing global footprints in countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. In addition, Malaysia has also strong capabilities in providing data system integration with the adoption of AI, IoT, big data analytics and cloud computing. This edition of EFM showcases some of Malaysia’s reputable creative companies providing flood alert systems and climate solutions to smart farming, smart ID, and peer-to-peer car-sharing platforms.