Malaysia is racing to become a global tech hub. It is competing with regional rivals such as Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand in attracting investments from big tech companies. The Malaysian states of Penang, Selangor and Johor are leading the charge. Penang wants to tap into the front end chip manufacturing supply chain, which involves wafer fabrication, advanced testing and packaging. Selangor is positioning itself as a potential powerhouse in the global integrated circuit design industry. Meanwhile, the southern state of Johor is now the largest data centre market in Malaysia, driven by a boom in investments by multinational corporations with a regional presence. It also ranks as one of the largest markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The success of attracting billions of dollars in investments comes with challenges. Malaysia needs to fill a critical gap of 60,000 engineers to meet demand in the semiconductor industry.
