BlackBerry Ltd signed a long-term software and services agreement with the Malaysian government in November to strengthen the country’s ‘cybersecurity posture’. BlackBerry said the landmark deal will enable the Malaysian government to leverage the full suite of its trusted cybersecurity solutions and support the integrity of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission while upskilling the nation’s workforce with advanced cybersecurity technology and training. The Canadian software company said in a statement in November that the Malaysian public sector will benefit from secure, reliable, real-time access to BlackBerry software and services hosted in a sovereign cloud. Prime Minister YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim said Malaysia must forge international partnerships that embrace cutting-edge technology to ensure it will continue to grow and prosper and keep the nation’s data and citizens safe.
Malaysia Bags Investments Worth RM63.02 Billion in US, Says PM Anwar
Malaysia secured a total of RM63.02 billion in proposed investments in the United States (US), mainly from technology giants, Prime Minister YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim said in November. Out of the total, RM8.33 billion investments were from the trade and investment mission to the US organised before the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, while the remaining investments were from the various one-on-one meetings held by the Prime Minister in the US. The investments from the trade mission are from Abbott Laboratories, Mondelez International, Amsted Rail, Hematogenix, PerkinElmer, Ford Motor Company, Boeing, Amazon Web Services, Enovix, and Lam Research. At the end of his official visit to the US, he told the Malaysian media that the remaining investments had been secured from one-on-one meetings with technology giants such as Google, Enovix Corporation, Microsoft, TikTok, and TPG.
Google Announces Strategic Collaboration with Malaysia to Boost Country’s Digital Competitiveness
Google has announced a strategic collaboration with the Malaysian government in November to invest in the country's digital competitiveness, including infrastructure and AI innovation programmes. The initiative will see both parties getting together to help businesses of all sizes advance their digital competitiveness through skilling programmes, investment in digital infrastructure, responsible AI innovation, and cloud-first policies. The announcement was made following a meeting between Prime Minister YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim and Google President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat, Google Asia Pacific President Scott Beaumont and Google Global Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Karan Bhatia.
Cut Red Tape to Attract FDI, Says US-ASEAN Business Council
US-ASEAN Business Council President Ted Osius said that simplifying the approval process for FDI into Malaysia will help the country attract capital from overseas. In a recent email interview with FMT in November, he also described the country’s Bumiputera equity ownership requirements as a barrier to investment fruition. When asked to describe the main factors US companies look at when deciding whether to invest in Malaysia, Osius said certainty and stability in the political and economic environments, along with access to cost-effective skilled labour, were among the key determinants. He said US businesses looking to diversify suppliers amidst economic competition with China saw Malaysia as a means to access the booming ASEAN market.
Nov: Bill Gates has made a bold forecast about AI and stated that everyone will soon have a robot ‘agent’ working for them, as per a report in Fortune. He said that shortly, anyone online can have a personal assistant powered by AI, far beyond today's technology. He added that ‘software is still pretty dumb’ even in this age and time. However, he predicts that the world will ‘change completely’ in the next five years. Gates added that agents are smarter and proactive - capable of making suggestions before you ask for them. The tech mogul said that everyone will have a personal assistant that can do almost anything, pointing out that the technology can even arrange whole trips for its users.