01/01/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | JAN 1, 2026

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UM, Huawei promote wider AI use across Malaysia

“Therefore, this collaboration will support CIDB’s aspiration to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the national construction industry,” he said. Under the partnership framework, GCCC will serve as a non-exclusive international promotional partner, facilitating engagement and connections with overseas manufacturers, institutions, agencies and industry players interested in obtaining construction testing, certification and industry training services. The collaboration also opens opportunities for the joint organisation of global promotional activities such as seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and trade missions, as well as the delivery of training and capacity-building programmes to international participants. – Bernama Angeline Lee said, “Today’s EGM represent a significant step forward for Propel Global. With a clear mandate from our shareholders, we are now well positioned to execute our strategic priorities, strengthen our financial foundation, and sharpen our operational focus. These initiatives provide us with the flexibility and resilience needed to pursue sustainable growth while remaining disciplined in capital management.” Propel Global gets shareholders’ support for series of initiatives KUALA LUMPUR: Propel Global Bhd, a provider of oil and gas (O&G) services, on Tuesday concluded its extraordinary general meeting (EGM), with share holders approving all resolutions tabled, providing the group with a clear mandate to proceed with a series of strategic and financial initiatives. Among the key resolutions approved was the proposed disposal by Propel Oilfield Services Sdn Bhd, a 49%-owned subsidiary of the company, of its remaining 70% equity interest in Propel Maxflo Sdn Bhd to Reservoir Link Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reservoir Link Energy Bhd for a total consideration of RM17.24 million. The consideration will be satisfied through a combination of RM13.79 million in cash and the issuance of approximately 18.69 million new ordinary shares in Reservoir Link Energy Bhd at an issue price of RM0.1845 per share. The cash proceeds will be utilised in accordance with the purposes outlined in the company’s circular to shareholders. Shareholders also approved the proposed private placement of up to 146.7 million new ordinary shares, representing approximately 19.3% of the company’s total issued share capital. The placement, which includes approved allocations to eligible directors, major shareholders and independent third party investors, provides Propel Global with enhanced funding flexibility to support its operational and strategic priorities. The issue price will be determined at a later date, at a discount of not more than 10% to the five-day volume-weighted average market price prior to the price-fixing date. In addition, shareholders approved the proposed reduction of the company’s issued share capital by RM65.5 million pursuant to Section 117 of the Companies Act 2016. The capital reduction will be applied entirely to offset accumulated losses, strengthening the Group’s balance sheet without any cash outflow. Executive director/group CEO

o Experts say country must expand smart tech use beyond trials, backed by talent growth, governance and industry partnerships KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must move artificial intelligence (AI) from pilot projects to widespread adoption to build a competitive economy by 2030, urged leaders from government, academia and industry at the recently held Third Digital Think Tank Network Roundtable co-hosted by Universiti Malaya and Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. The roundtable convened policymakers, academics and key industry representatives under the theme “Building Malaysia’s AI Ecosystem Towards 2030” to discuss strategies for accelerating scalable, sustainable AI implementation across sectors. Beginning the discussions, UM’s Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology (FCSIT) deputy dean of research and innovation, Associate Professor Dr Saaidal Razalli Azzuhri said universities play a critical role in building future-ready digital talent and applied research capacity. “While FCSIT remains relatively small in structure, it has become one of the university’s largest faculties by student enrolment as demand for computer science and information technology related disciplines continue to grow. The rising enrolment, particularly in AI, reflects increasing national demand and underscores the importance of closer collaboration between academia and industry to ensure education and research deliver practical outcomes,” he added. Huawei Cloud Malaysia vice-president Andy Wei said, rapid global investments in AI and declining AI training costs have lowered barriers to adoption, shifting the focus from experimentation to scaled deployment. In his opening remarks, Wei said, “To implement AI, enterprises must consider many aspects. This includes computing resources, selection and optimisation of models, data preparation, application development, business security and other related requirements. Our goal at Huawei Cloud is to make advanced AI tools and cloud services affordable, secure and accessible for businesses of all sizes.” He added that AI should be deployed in ways that deliver tangible value to the economy and society. He highlighted Huawei Malaysia’s AI talent development efforts under the broader Huawei Cloud Asia-Pacific AI ecosystem initiative,

From left: UM associate professor, head of Department of International and Strategic Studies Dr Roy Anthony Rogers; Dr Aznul Qalid; Dr Saaidal Razalli; UM associate professor & dean FCSIT Dr Norisma Idris, Huawei Asean Academy vice-chancellor Oliver Liu, Sean Lee, Mohd Al Hafidz, William Law, and Max Lee.

he stated. Speaking on practical AI deployment, Southeast Asia technical consultant of iFLYTEK Max Lee said AI should enable human machine collaboration and complement human expertise, particularly in healthcare and public services. “Trusted AI use depends on high-quality datasets, rigorous validation and secure implementation, especially in sensitive settings. In healthcare, AI is used to support clinicians by reducing documentation workloads, while similar tools are being applied in public administration to improve service delivery in line with national digital transformation priorities,” he added. In the area of policy, director of AI Innovation at the National AI Office (NAIO) Mohd Al Hafidz Yahya positioned Malaysia’s AI Nation 2030 Vision as a key national roadmap aimed at transforming the country from a technology user into a producer and regional hub that develops and commercialises homegrown AI solutions. “Based on economic and social impact assessments, 12 priority industries have been identified to anchor widespread AI deployment. This includes agriculture, food, public services, education, healthcare, utilities and traditional industries,” he stated. The head of Digital Health Research and Innovation Unit at the National Institute of Health’s Institute for Clinical Research William Law Kian Boon stressed that digital transformation remains a prerequisite for effective medical AI adoption. He noted, however, that gaps in data interoperability and digital readiness across healthcare facilities continue to limit deployment at scale. production facilities in source countries such as China and other countries. This is important because many of the materials we import come from China; it is better to have them inspected and certified in China before they are sent here. “Initiatives like this can provide better access and a more effective ecosystem for the national construction industry in the long term, while at the same time reducing the risk of penalties, disposal costs, and losses faced by our construction industry players,” he added. According to him, in 2024, Malaysia imported construction products worth nearly RM300 billion from China alone, almost one-fifth of the country’s total imports. This figure does not include imports from other countries.

which aims to train 30,000 Malaysian AI talents over the next three years spanning students, public sector officers and industry practitioners. He reaffirmed Huawei Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening local talent pipelines and partner capabilities to advance AI adoption across key sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, finance and smart cities. Addressing implementation challenges, associate professor Dr Aznul Qalid Md Sabri from the Department of Artificial Intelligence at UM’s FCSIT noted that Malaysia’s AI readiness has yet to produce consistent industrial outcomes. The challenges he identified include fragmented and non-scalable AI applications, shortages of industry-ready talent and the slow pace of research commercialisation. “To address these challenges, priorities should include making AI applications measurable, aligning talent training with market demand, strengthening financing for local innovation, implementing workable governance frameworks and treating data as a strategic national asset,” he emphasised. He added that UM will launch a Bachelor’s Degree in AI in 2026 as a landmark step in strengthening the national AI talent pipeline. Representing the business community, Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce’s Domestic Commercial Affairs Committee chairman Sean Lee said deeper Malaysia-China cooperation can support AI ecosystem development through joint innovation and localisation of solutions. Drawing on his experience, he proposed an AI-driven credit scoring to improve financing access for small and micro-sized enterprises. “This would help to address structural inefficiencies in existing funding mechanisms,” intelligence (AI), smart detection technologies, and digital certification systems into construction quality and safety governance. Our work focuses on translating advanced technologies into regulator-ready tools that strengthen rather than disrupt, national regulatory systems. This collaboration with CIDB places intelligent construction governance at its core,” he said in his keynote speech at the MoU signing ceremony on Tuesday. He emphasised that GCCC has a strategic collaboration network that includes testing laboratories, training institutions and industry partners in Malaysia, China and several international markets, enabling a more structured and phased promotional activities, service introductions and knowledge exchanges. “Together with international business

GCCC, CIDB team up to expand access to global product testing PUTRAJAYA: Global Construction Certification Centre Sdn Bhd (GCCC) has signed a MoU with CIDB Holdings Sdn Bhd to promote and facilitate access to global construction product testing, certification, and industry training services. partners, GCCC is now ready to provide modern testing laboratories, certification, and

GCCC chairman Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai stated that in the modern construction environment, regulation can no longer rely solely on manual inspection, periodic audits, or post-incident enforcement; instead, construction governance today must be intelligent, predictive, data driven, and technology-enabled. He highlighted that GCCC was established specifically to play a critical role in driving this transformation. “As a global construction certification, standards coordination, and intelligent compliance platform, GCCC integrates artificial