Penang unveils creative digital district, eyes 50 investors in next 3 years

George Town, Penang will have its own creative digital district, known as CD2 @ George Town. Penang's chief minister Chow Kon Yow said the state's ambition is to further attract investments in digital and software services to spur the state’s digital ecosystem.

"In line with our Penang2030 vision, CD2 @ George Town aims to revive the urban core through the fusion of heritage and digital," he added. To cope with the rising demand for access and speed in driving digitalisation, the CD2 @ George Town will feature a 5G network infrastructure, enabling businesses and communities in the vicinity to benefit from high-speed internet. In line with the digital transformation plan of Penang, it will also launch the CD2 Sandbox, to house start-ups, accelerators and incubators in its unique heritage-modern environment. 

Aside from being chief minister, Chow is also the chairman of Digital Penang. Digital Penang is a government-linked company that began operations in April 2020 to accelerate efforts to capture opportunities in the digital economy and promote a digitally engaged society. 

Over the next three years, Digital Penang is targeting to attract 50 digital investors into CD2 @ George Town with an investment commitment of 2,000 high-income jobs, said the company. Currently, eight companies have expressed its commitment and intent for the establishment of the centre. The eight companies are Angkasa-X, BlueSkies, Censof, CTAPPS, Finexus, Karuna Sarawak, Securemetrics and TriAset. 

Chow added that Penang has progressed to be one of the most developed and urbanised states. At the same time, Penang is also a key driver of Malaysia's economic growth in manufacturing and tourism, bringing inflows of foreign investment and trade. Being a hub to many regional and international companies and investors, it boded well to launch CD2 there. A+M has reached out to Digital Penang for additional information regarding CD2 @ George Town. 

“I look forward to seeing the fusion of heritage and digital in the Creative Digital District here at George Town in the coming years. I believe that with our talents from academia such as Wawasan Open University, Universiti Sains Malaysia, The One Academy, and other universities in the vicinity –they will birth great minds and prepare them for careers in the creative and digital industry. We also invite digital investors in Malaysia and abroad, to establish a hub in CD Square in Georgetown," added Chow. 

Separately, in an attempt to boost tourism, the Penang State Tourism unveiled its Experience Penang campaign in December last year, aiming to drive domestic and international visitors to its shores. The ads were featured on the Cosmic Towers LED screen panels at the KL Sentral-NU Sentral junction and the Giant Cube located in front of the Lot 10 shopping centre. These locations were chosen based on KL's city centre reputation as the main tourist hub in the country and to maximise the campaign's effort in driving domestic and international tourists to Penang.

At the same time, brochures were also launched alongside the OOH ads, featuring topics such as "Other Side of the Island, Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau" and "Opposite Side of the Island, Seberang Perai". All these were in line with Penang's aspiration to become a premier, sustainable, and diversified tourism destination as outlined in the Penang Tourism Master Plan and Penang2030 vision to create a variety of quality tourism products across the island and mainland.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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