Malaysia is now attracting tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment, making it a prime destination in the era of global technology competition.
Geopolitical tensions between the United States (US) and China have shifted investors' attention to Malaysia, which is now at the forefront of technological transformation.
According to a Bloomberg report, Penang has received $44 billion (RM195 billion) in investment since 2019, making it a major chip hub with major projects such as Intel's $7 billion 3D chip packaging facility and Lam Research's largest global institute.
Kedah is also contributing, with Infineon Technologies investing €7 billion to produce silicon carbide chips.
In the south, Johor is becoming an AI and data center hub with $4.3 billion in investment from Nvidia and Microsoft.
A key factor making Malaysia an investor's choice is its low electricity costs, about a third of Singapore's.
Aggressive efforts to train 60,000 engineers and creative initiatives such as converting oil palm plantations into solar farms show how serious the country is about seizing this huge opportunity.
With tens of thousands of highly skilled job opportunities to be created and an ever-boosting economy, Malaysia is now poised to break out of the middle-income trap and achieve high-income country status.
