YTL Power partners Nvidia in AI development push in MY

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Malaysian power producer, YTL Power is reportedly partnering with U.S. tech giant Nvidia to develop an artificial intelligence infrastructure in the country.

The AI development project is expected to come in at a US$4.3 billion (or RM20 billion) investment deal and is expected to be operational by mid-2024, according to Reuters.

Under the deal, YTL Power and Nvidia will reportedly build supercomputers using Nvidia AI chips while YTL Power will utilise Nvidia's AI cloud computing platform to build a large language model in Malay.

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The project will be hosted at a data centre in Johor.

The partnership will reportedly strengthen Southeast Asia's fast-growing AI ecosystem and help shape Malaysia as a semiconductor manufacturing power.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took to X, previously known as Twitter, after a meeting with YTL Power managing director Yeoh Seok Hong, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and minister of investment, trade and industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz, to share what the partnership means for the country.

"The decision to invest in Malaysia is a clear signal that foreign investors, especially technology giants, continue to make the country a primary destination of choice in this region," said Anwar.

Additionally, Tengku Zafrul told reporters that such partnerships, such as the one between YTL Power and Nvidia, are part of the government's New Industrial Master Plan 2030.

Tengku Zafrul also added that such collaborations enhance the country's economic complexity and paves the way for Malaysia to become a high technology and high-income nation.

Malaysia has seen rising partnerships in AI development in recent months.

Huang supported the claim when he told reporters that Malaysia is an important hub for Southeast Asia computing infrastructure.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) said that it will reportedly create a code of ethics framework for AI in 2024.

The framework is expected to include guidelines and regulations for stakeholders across various sectors and will aim to respond to issues such as privacy, security and the impact of AI on human life.

In tandem, communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil revealed in November that AI will be used to mitigate cybersecurity manpower shortages.

Fahmi explained that while Malaysia’s digital economy is on track to contribute to more than 25.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, its growth comes with an increased risk of cyber threats, in a statement seen by A+M.

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