MDEC’s DataKITA Initiative as Impetus for Growth in Malaysia’s Data-Driven Economy
The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is launching the DataKITA initiative in conjunction with Malaysia Tech Month 2020 (MTM 2020) to catalyse a thriving national data ecosystem in Malaysia. The ongoing initiative will be inaugurated with DataKITA.Pulse virtual event taking place on 21-22 November 2020.
DataKITA is preparing Malaysia for a new world order of data, one driven by disruptive Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies that necessitate business openness and digital evolution. Through the initiative, MDEC will collaborate closely with enterprises and stakeholders within the nation’s data economy. They will do this to help businesses jumpstart their data transformation journey through a structured approach – leveraging data literacy, data analytics, governance, data sharing and artificial intelligence (AI).
MDEC launches DataKITA initiative in Malaysia Tech Month to turbocharge the growth of Malaysia’s Data-Driven economy“Malaysia must gear up for a world beyond the new normal. To reach the next evolutionary level of our development, we must take charge of emerging 4IR technologies that will power the digital economy. As Malaysia transforms digitally towards Malaysia 5.0, businesses now must make the most of the “new gold” that is data to better understand markets, increase revenues, gain new segments and raise their efficiency,” Dr Rais Hussin (pic), Chairman, MDEC
MDEC’s expectations are that, through DataKITA, it will empower digitally-skilled Malaysians, enabling digitally-powered businesses and driving investors in digital sectors to join this data-driven population, as it works with the ecosystem to realise the nation’s Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.
The DataKITA initiative will raise the availability, accessibility and usability of data in Malaysia’s society and economy via four strategic pillars:
- Knowledge: Promote Data Literacy
- Infrastructure: Foster a Data-Driven Environment
- Talent: Facilitate Development of Data Professionals
- Action: Accelerate business enterprises to be Data-Driven and AI Ready
By fostering holistic data transformation between the Malaysian people, businesses, and the Government, DataKITA will be the key vehicle to help Malaysia grow a data-driven digital economy to become an advanced market that sets a global example in leading the data proliferation within society and the economy.
It will also help Malaysia’s economic actors tap into the US$13 trillion revenue projected to be added by data-fuelled applications in the global economy by 2030, thereby reinforcing the nation’s position as the Heart of Digital ASEAN.
“We want organisations to recognise the importance of data transformation and to take the first crucial step to embark on the journey, such as training, using data for decision making, investing in technology or the cloud, and setting up data roles within their organisation.
This is what MDEC’s DataKITA initiative is all about and we are calling on Malaysia’s businesses and tech talent to embark on this data journey at our upcoming DataKITA.Pulse event,” Karl Ng, Director of Data Ecosystem Development at MDEC said.
Malaysia Concludes Apec 2020 on a High Note
Malaysia successfully concludes APEC 2020 on a high note, with the adoption of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, and the 2020 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on 20th November 2020, at the first-ever fully virtual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM). The AELM was chaired by The Right Honourable Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia. The Meeting was participated by all 21 APEC Economic Leaders.
The APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 is set to build on Bogor Goals, which were launched in 1994 and reach maturity this year. Malaysia was the lead penholder for this Vision, which will serve as the primary guiding document for the work in APEC, for the next two decades. This strategic document was a result of Malaysia’s close collaboration with all APEC Economies.
The Putrajaya Vision aspires for an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations. The Vision also identifies three key economic drivers to achieve this aspiration, namely Trade and Investment; Innovation and Digitalisation; as well as Strong, Balanced, Secure, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.
In addition to the Putrajaya Vision, the Leaders also adopted a consensus Declaration, a document that has remained elusive in the past two years. The Prime Minister noted that Senior Officials worked until the eleventh hour to come to an agreement on this Declaration. “This, for me, is a clear demonstration of what we are capable of accomplishing when we set aside our differences and focus on our shared values”, he said in his speech.
In the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, the Leaders highlighted the need to facilitate equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines. They also noted the importance of a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment to drive economic recovery, and reaffirmed support for the on-going work at the WTO, including through necessary reforms aimed at improving its functioning.
Leaders called for an enabling environment that supports the development of the digital economy as well as inclusive economic policies to facilitate post-pandemic regional recovery and growth. They noted the need to advance human resource development and strengthen economic and technical cooperation in order to ensure that affected workers are afforded appropriate support. Leaders expressed hope that new technologies enable the region to handle resources and waste more sustainably, and in a holistic manner. They also made a commitment to support global efforts to tackle climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters.
In his interventions, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin noted the multi-faceted responses that have been undertaken in the Asia Pacific, in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and navigating the region towards a path of robust and resilient economic recovery. He recognised that APEC has, in its attempt to strike a balance between health priorities and economic needs, introduced stimulus packages, lockdowns and circuit breakers, and more recently, travel bubbles. APEC Economic Leaders also shared their individual policy responses and intervention measures in addressing the challenges brought forth by the pandemic, and underscored the importance of working collaboratively to reopen economic sectors, return people to jobs and reinstating the region to some level of normalcy.
Vodafone and Ericsson are Creating Safe Flight Paths for Drones
Vodafone and Ericsson are creating “sky corridors” which enable drones to travel safely and quickly.
Today’s drones are predominately used for photography, videography, and just recreational purposes. However, drones will increasingly be used for critical applications such as delivering vital medical supplies and organs.
Drones have been largely held back by confusing regulations, unreliable connectivity, and reckless flying that’s endangered aircraft and grounded planes.
The sky corridors being tested by Vodafone and Ericsson will help to overcome the hurdles which have hindered drones and enable them to reach their full potential.
By creating specific paths, it can be assured that drones do not interfere with other aircraft and/or endanger others. Furthermore, connectivity along these paths can be guaranteed to prevent any “not-spots” of coverage leading to uncontrollable drones. Regulators are more likely to welcome drones with such guarantees.
The team generated coverage maps of where drones can fly while retaining good connectivity in the air. Anonymised information from mobile users was also used to help drones avoid congested areas.
In one test, Vodafone in Spain used a drone over 5G to fly a defibrillator to the scene of a cardiac arrest patient.
Vodafone says that cellular-connected drones form part of the company’s multi-year journey to redefine its technology architecture on a “Telco as a Service” (‘TaaS’) model, based on platforms that deliver new software, video, and data applications at scale.
Malaysia Better Prepared for 4IR Thanks to COVID-19
While COVID-19 has caused serious economic consequences, there may be some silver lining as well.
In Malaysia, advancement has leapfrogged by as much as five years. A recent study titled “Digital Consumers of Tomorrow, Here Today” by Bain & Company and Facebook, this is due to higher spending power and inclination towards contactless transactions.
The exponential growth of the digital economy means that Southeast Asia may see more digital consumers by the end of 2020, with 83% of Malaysia’s population aged 15 and above. 48% of which have opted for online shopping in the past year.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation's (MDEC) chief executive officer Surina Shukri said, "We're immersed in the era of technology – from going cashless, generating income through digital means and exploring new revenue streams through e-commerce."
The Basics of coding and apps development are being taught in schools and institutions of higher learning which will equip students for 4IR and the future workforce.
MDEC has played a huge role in this aspect, developing and spearheading initiatives such as #myDigitalMaker, #SayaDigital, and #YoungCreators.
She added that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises are quick to digitalise their end-to-end systems for their businesses.
Making the digital leap into the 4IR is crucial to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the nation. Key stakeholders and industrial players are eager to embrace change to remain relevant.
South Korea to Help Bangladesh Develop Skilled Labour for 4IR
Lee Jang-Keun, the Korean High Commissioner to Bangladesh hinted on a collaboration with Bangladesh in facilitating the development of skilled labour, aligned with the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).
He suggested this during a courtesy call with the FBCCI President Sheikh Fazle Fahim, at the newly renovated FBCCI Icon 60 Motijheel in the capital, said a press release.
During the visit, the FBCCI President appraised the High Commissioner of South Korea on FBCCI Impact 4.0, entailing FBCCI ADR Center, Tech Center, Skill Lab, FBCCI Institute, FBCCI University, Economic Applied Research Center, Multipurpose Workshop / Seminar / Skills Auditorium, and the federation's capacity enhancements with globally top-rated organizations and roadmap to LDC and SDG 2030.
Aligned with Bangladesh’s development trajectory, the present FBCCI board launched FBCCI 2041 which constitutes Impact 4.0 initiative.
However, the highlight of the meeting was soliciting Korean interest for FDIs or Joint ventures in the automotive component making, and its potential contribution in the tech centre, providing access to the startup ecosystem; at the same time imploring the counterpart in providing arbitrator for the Alternate Dispute Resolution Centre.
The FBCCI President and the High Commissioner also discussed the apex trade body’s noteworthy economic and social measures during COVID-19; Bilateral Value Chain Initiatives (BVCI); diplomatic relations; trade agreements entailing KCCI, KOIMA, KITA; COVID-19 engagements; investment incentives; TVET skill development through knowledge transfer and labour migrants.
The two countries are expected to engage in stronger cooperation in various facets including FBCCI Impact 4.0.
Jong Won Kim, trade representative, commercial section and Cheol-sang KIM, deputy chief of mission counsellor of the Embassy of Republic of Korea (ROK); alongside FBCCI Vice-Presidents, Md Rejaul Kariem Rejnu; Mir Nizam Uddin Ahmed; Nizamuddin Rajesh and FBCCI Directors Sujib Ranjan Dash, Md Munir Hossain; and Salahuddin Alamgir, were also present during the occasion.
Mostafa Kamal, chairman of Meghna Group of Industries, was also present at the occasion as the honorary consul of Korea in Chittagong.
WEF: Inequality Likely to Worsen as Robots Set to Do Half of Work by 2025
A report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that robots will do half of all work tasks by 2025, with inequality likely to worsen as a result.
Concerns about the impact of automation on jobs are not exactly new, but most felt the timeline for significant change would be longer – providing more time for mass reskilling of the workforce.
The pandemic we find ourselves in is creating “a double disruption of jobs” with businesses reducing their employees while simultaneously speeding up the adoption of automation to make up for the lost productivity.
43% of the businesses surveyed report they are set to reduce their workforce due to technology integration. 41% say they will increase their use of contractors. Just 34% plan to expand their workforce due to technology integration.
The silver lining is that more jobs overall should be created than destroyed from automation. However, these new roles will require very different skills than most current jobs.
Societal inequalities are expected to be exacerbated in this transition. Disadvantaged groups and those on lower incomes will struggle comparatively to retrain in the future skills they need to succeed.
Manual jobs in areas like administration and data processing are most at risk of automation, according to the WEF. Roles that require very human skills like communicating and reasoning will rise in demand.
There will understandably be a huge demand for workers in areas like the IoT, AI, cloud computing, and engineering; helping to support the growth in automation.
The WEF says millions of people will need to be reskilled to prepare for the coming changes and governments will need to provide stronger safety nets for workers displaced by automation.
The Devil Is in the Data: Balancing Privacy and Healthcare
Data is crucial in effective decision-making, especially when tackling healthcare issues such as the novel coronavirus. Getting individuals to participate in an ecosystem of sharing data, however, is not that simple. To gain public trust, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) implemented key principles to protect the citizens’ data privacy.
“They announced that they collect only the minimum data needed and then deleted it afterwards,” said Tai Myoung Chung, a professor in South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University, in a recent discussion on healthcare data. “Secondly, prior approval is needed before investigators can access private data. Thirdly, a security clearance is necessary for officials of both the KCDC and local government. Lastly, they use all kinds of model security solutions by security experts.”
South Korea, he added, invested US$240 million (MYR 973 million) in a Data Dam project that collects and integrates information provided by both public and private sectors to manufacture useful data that can be shared via 5G networks. More than 5,000 companies and organisations are part of the project.
Chung, whose research is focused on data security and digital therapeutics, said that sharing data is beneficial but that an earnest discussion is necessary before interoperability across country borders can be realistically implemented.
“If we have a standard for data collection interoperability, will it be freely accessible to anonymous stakeholders? Data itself is the money,” Chung said. “Are countries willing to exchange data with other countries? We have an open-source community but I don’t see any open-data community yet.”
Uber Sells Robot-Vehicle Division as Pandemic Takes Its Toll
Uber is selling off its autonomous vehicles development arm as the ride-hailing company slims down after its revenues were pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic. Self-driving vehicle technology company Aurora will acquire the employees and technology behind Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group in a stock transaction, the companies said Monday. Uber will also invest $400 million into Aurora, and Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join Aurora’s board of directors.
After the transaction, Aurora will be worth $10 billion and Uber will hold a 26%t stake in the company, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson said in an interview.
“Our first product will be in trucking and freight, but we look forward to taking this great team that we have and accelerating that while continuing working on light vehicles and ride-hailing, and we’ll ultimately see our vehicles deploying on the Uber network,” Urmson said.
Uber will not have exclusive rights as a ride-hailing company to Aurora’s technology, but the two companies will have a “preferred relationship,” Urmson said.
San Francisco-based Uber will lose a critical piece of its company after the pandemic cut into its finances by suppressing demand for shared rides. Its path to profitability has often been linked with its plans to deploy autonomous vehicles and reduce the high cost of paying drivers.
The company’s efforts around self-driving technology was marred in March 2018 when one of its automated test vehicles hit and killed a woman, the first death involving the technology. The backup Uber driver involved in the crash was charged with negligent homicide for being distracted in the moments before fatally striking the woman in suburban Phoenix.
“There’s no doubt they had a pretty rough couple of years a while back,” Urmson said. “What’s been impressive to me in meeting the team over the last little while is just how much the team has learned, and the tenaciousness, and determination of the team as they come to market in a thoughtful, safe way.”
Gaining customers’ trust is a huge factor, said Dan Morgan, vice president of Synovus Trust Company. “You have one or two bad accidents and people are like, ‘I’m not getting into that thing,’” he said.
Aurora, based in Mountain View, Calif., is led by former Google, Tesla and Uber executives. Aurora also has partnerships with delivery giant Amazon and auto companies Hyundai and Kia, among others, but its partnership with Uber is its first official relationship with a ride-hailing company.
The move will help Uber find a quicker path to profitability, said Steven Fox, founder and CEO of Fox Advisors. “It accomplishes the best of both worlds for them. It takes away a big profit drag and keeps them strategically well-positioned for when they want to move parts of their network to be autonomous,” he said.
The deal means San Francisco-based Uber will be entrusting a key piece of its future to a 3-year-old startup co-founded and run by one of the engineers who launched Google’s pioneering work in self-driving cars more than a decade ago. Urmson was one of the most visible people involved in the once-secret project that Google initially dubbed “Chauffeur” before it was finally spun off into a separate company called Waymo. Google and Waymo remain closely aligned under the same corporate parent, Alphabet.
While at Google, Urmson also worked on the self-driving car technology with another top engineer, Anthony Levandowski, who defected to Uber in 2016 oversee its early efforts to build robotic vehicles.
As part of that effort, Uber bought Levandowski’s startup, Otto, for $680 million. That deal quickly disintegrated into a scandal after Waymo accused Levandowski of stealing its trade secrets and using them to help Uber to make the transition from human drivers to autonomous vehicles.
Uber denied the allegations, but eventually reached a $245 million settlement with Waymo in 2018 after a few days of testimony during a high-profile trial in San Francisco. Before the settlement, Uber’s former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick revealed he believed Google’s self-driving car technology posed an existential threat to Uber during his dramatic appearance on the witness stand.
That fear drove Kalanick Uber’s to open its own self-driving car division stocked with robotic experts from Carnegie-Mellon University as well as former Google engineers acquired as part of the deal with Levandowski. Uber eventually fired Levandowski in 2017 and Levandowski wound up being sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to stealing some of Google’s trade secrets before he left the company in 2016.
Kaspersky Sees Emergence of New Cyberattack Strategies in 2021
Internet security firm Kaspersky expects new cyberattack strategies to emerge, which will mainly target network appliances and 5G.
The company said its forecast for 2021 was developed based on the changes that its global research and analysis team observed in 2020.
For 2021, Kaspersky anticipates more countries to use legal indictments as part of their cyber strategy.
Kaspersky’s previous predictions of “naming and shaming” of APT (advanced persistent threat) attacks carried out by hostile parties has come true, and more organisations will follow suit.
It also expects more Silicon Valley firms to take action against zero-day brokers.
Following the scandalous cases where zero-day vulnerabilities in popular apps were exploited for espionage on a variety of different targets, more Silicon Valley corporations are likely to take a stance against zero-day brokers in an effort to protect their customers and reputation.
More disruptive attacks can also be expected, as our lives have become even more dependent on technology with a much wider attack surface than ever before.
Cybercriminals will likewise have a greater incentive to look for vulnerabilities they can exploit, Kaspersky said, referring to 5G.
Such attackers are expected to continue exploiting the coronavirus pandemic crisis. “While it did not prompt changes in tactics, techniques and procedures of the threat actors, the virus has become a persistent topic of interest. As the pandemic will continue into 2021, threat actors will not stop exploiting this topic to gain a foothold in target systems,” the company said.
5G and the 5 New Things It Will Bring to the World of Logistics
With the promise of unstoppable data download and upload speeds, broader coverage and more stable connections, 5G, the fifth-generation cellular technology, is set to transform mobile connectivity as we know it.
5G is already expected to revolutionise supply chains around the world as it becomes more available to different markets over the next few years.
More companies are shifting toward a data-driven mindset in their decision making — to predict future performance and optimise operational efficiencies — which will require the collection and analysis of a large swath of data, some in real-time.
Exponentially faster data speeds and reduced latency will give rise to a more responsive network to support this transformation, while also paving the way for more Internet-enabled smart devices to be integrated along the logistics supply chain.
This will all render logistics processes faster, safer and more reliable. Here’s a look at what 5G means for logistics in five ways.
1. Logistics, digitalised - With faster speeds, lower lag times, larger areas of coverage and a comparatively smaller power appetite, smart devices can communicate faster with one another at speeds that are even closer to real-time.
2. Minimising supply chain risks – Portable Internet-connected trackers that monitor in real-time the location and condition of the goods throughout the entire supply chain.
3. Autonomous trucks on public roads – 5G is a key enabler for autonomous trucks on public roads. The less time it takes for an autonomous truck to make a decision, the safer the roads, and the more reliable the deliveries.
4. Faster and safer port operations – To create an intelligent transportation system, sensors, cameras and devices are connected to a network to form an integrated communications system.
5. Augmented reality (AR) applications – 5G-powered assembly and repair processes in the warehouse can also speed up due to the shorter time needed to transmit information to AR-enabled devices.
When 5G realises its full potential, gone will be the days of losing cargo, misplacing parcels and incurring losses due to human error, mismanagement and inefficiencies.
