16/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | APR 16, 2026

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KUALA LUMPUR: Finland-based EV charging solutions provider Kempower is doubling down on Malaysia as a key Southeast Asian growth market, positioning data-driven, scalable charging infrastructure as the next critical phase in the country’s electric vehicle (EV) transition. As EV adoption accelerates, the company is shifting the conversation beyond simply rolling out more chargers toward building commercially viable, future-ready networks that can sustain long-term growth. “Malaysia is a key market in Southeast Asia’s electrification journey. We see strong momentum driven by supportive policies, growing industry collaboration, and increasing consumer interest,” said Kempower new markets director Carlo Cecchi. However, he stressed that the industry is entering a more mature phase where profitability, not just deployment speed, will determine success. “The conversation is no longer just about deploying chargers quickly, but about ensuring they are well utilised, reliable, and designed to scale sustainably,” he said. A central theme emerging from Kempower’s strategy is utilisation rate, which it argues is the most critical yet overlooked factor in determining the commercial viability of EV charging networks. Drawing on global data, Kempower head of public charging Oscar Sanchez said higher charging power alone does not necessarily translate into better returns for operators. Instead, the company is advocating for a “more plugs, not just more power” approach. “EV drivers don’t want to wait. If there’s a charger with lower power Ű BY DEEPALAKSHMI MANICKAM sunbiz@thesundaily.com PUTRAJAYA: The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is collaborating with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to assess the actual impact of rising building material costs following the West Asia conflict on the local construction sector, said Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan. He said the collaboration enables the Ministry of Works to obtain more accurate percentage increases through scientifically based inflation calculation methods. “DOSM has figures and calculation methods that are carried out periodically. It uses a reliable approach, not merely estimates,” he told reporters after visiting the Setia Perdana Activity Centre project site at the Prime Minister’s Department here yesterday. Ahmad said the assessment must be carried out in detail by examining the actual components in a construction project. “For example, in a building project involving about 50 items, we need to identify how many items are truly affected and to what extent the impact is,” he said. Ahmad said the impact of cost increases varies by project type, with road construction and maintenance reported to be more affected than building projects. He said rising diesel prices have placed significant pressure on operational costs for road contractors due to the use of heavy machinery

CIDB, DOSM assess impact of rising building costs

o Deputy works minister says impact of price increases varies by project type such as lorries, bulldozers and rollers that depend on the fuel. “Conversely, for building construction projects, the impact of diesel price increases is more limited as fuel usage is not as high,” he said. Ahmad said cost increases in the construction sector are not necessarily caused entirely by the current conflict, but are also influenced by existing supply chain factors that had already affected prices previously. In a related development, he said only four per cent of the 855 projects under the supervision of the Public Works Department (JKR) nationwide are currently classified as sick but available immediately, they will choose that over a faster one that requires waiting,” he said. Kempower’s data shows that increasing the number of charging points at a site correlates more strongly with utilisation and revenue generation than simply installing higher-capacity chargers. This insight is shaping how charging networks are being designed in emerging markets like Malaysia, where the company believes stakeholders can learn from earlier missteps in Europe. “In Europe, we overbuilt infrastructure expecting future demand that didn’t come as quickly, and many operators struggled,” Sanchez said. “In Malaysia, we see a more measured approach, building according to real demand, which is the right direction.” Currently, Kempower holds about 13% market share in Malaysia by charge points, with over 260 charge points installed locally since entering the market in 2023, according to the business development manager for Southeast Asia, Stephanie Lai. The company is now looking to expand beyond Klang Valley into other states and East Malaysia, while deepening partnerships with local charge point operators (CPOs). Rather than selling standalone hardware, Kempower emphasises a solutions-based model integrating software, data analytics, and modular infrastructure that can scale over time. “We are not here to sell one charger. We are here to stay,” Cecchi said. “We want to support the entire ecosystem, from deployment to operation and ensure long-term performance.”

projects, typically due to delays in progress by contractors. “When we study the causes of sick projects, many are linked to weaknesses in project management as well as financial management,” he said. Ahmad also inspected the progress of the Setia Perdana Activity Centre project at the Prime Minister’s Department here yesterday, which was supposed to be completed in 2024 but has experienced significant delays after being granted six extensions of time. He said the contractor was found to have failed to comply with several basic requirements, including not attending site meetings, lack of skilled workers and poor work planning. As such, he said the ministry will review the next steps, including the possibility of contract termination, to ensure the project can be completed without affecting public interest. Ahmad stressed that the ministry does not encourage repeated extensions of time as it reflects This includes helping operators optimise site design, manage energy usage and improve uptime, all of which are critical to achieving a viable return on investment. Malaysia’s EV charging landscape, however, still faces structural challenges, particularly around grid capacity and high upfront costs. Lai noted that electricity infrastructure alone can cost operators up to RM300,000, creating significant barriers to expansion. To address this, Kempower is exploring alternative business models, including shifting from capital expenditure-heavy setups to more flexible operational expenditure structures. At the same time, grid limitations remain a global bottleneck, not unique to Malaysia. “The grid is the challenge everywhere,” Sanchez said. “It’s not about whether there is enough energy, but how we access it and where.” Kempower’s modular systems are designed to adapt to these constraints, allowing operators to start with lower capacity and scale up as more power becomes available. The company is also seeing growing interest in integrating energy storage solutions, although it acknowledged that battery systems are not always commercially viable. Looking ahead, Kempower expects EV charging behaviour in Malaysia to increasingly mirror mature markets like Norway, where drivers prioritise convenience and integrate charging into daily activities such as shopping or dining. “Drivers are not always looking for the fastest charge. They are looking for availability, reliability and ease of use,” Cecchi said.

Ahmad says cost increases also influenced by existing supply chain factors. – BERNAMAPIC

need to appoint a completion contractor through a new tender, which would also involve additional costs and a time frame of two to three months,” he said. – Bernama

implementation issues and could potentially increase project costs. “Each extension of time carries cost implications. If the contract is terminated, the government would

Kempower bets on scalable EV charging

AppliedAI presses ahead with M’sia expansion despite Mideast tensions

Ű BY HAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com

Kong, alongside the launch of Opus 2.0. The regional push follows a pre Series B funding round backed by Mubadala and Arbor Ventures, positioning AppliedAI to operate within some of Asia-Pacific’s most stringent regulatory environments across banking, the public sector and healthcare. Arya said widespread adoption of AI could materially enhance Malaysia’s productivity and economic output. “If you think of GDP as population multiplied by productivity, then a tenfold increase in productivity per person would drive a substantial rise in GDP,” he said. He added that Malaysia may be able to accelerate AI adoption more quickly than mature markets, where decision-making processes tend to be more complex. “In markets such as Europe, adoption often requires multiple layers of approval. Here, once leadership decides, implementation can move much faster,” he said. Such speed could prove decisive. If Malaysia succeeds in embedding AI across regulated industries and positioning itself as an AI-first economy, it could realise gains not only in productivity but also in capturing a larger share of global outsourcing demand. AppliedAI said its platform can increase productivity per worker by at least tenfold while improving accuracy by about 20%, without compromising quality. Arya noted that Malaysia could strengthen its position in the global outsourcing market, particularly relative to regional competitors such as the Philippines and India, if it leads in AI adoption.

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headquartered said ongoing tensions in the Middle East will not derail its expansion in Malaysia, as it proceeds with plans to deploy its enterprise AI platform, Opus 2.0. Founder and CEO Arya H Bolurfrushan said the company’s exposure is limited to computing resources such as tokens and data centre capacity, with risks mitigated through partnerships with global cloud providers including Amazon and Microsoft. “It does not impact us on the ground. Infrastructure availability remains sufficient to support deployment of our enterprise AI platform in Malaysia,” he told reporters after a briefing on AppliedAI Company (AAICO) and its Opus platform, as well as its role in supporting Malaysia’s ambition to become an AI-driven nation by 2030. AppliedAI has identified Malaysia as its first Asian market, citing strong leadership, a clear AI-native vision for 2030, and an existing client base as key factors underpinning its entry. Arya said the Opus 2.0 platform is targeted at highly regulated sectors, including banking, insurance, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. “We already have a sizable team here and traction among customers in regulated sectors. Malaysia is a natural entry point given our familiarity with the market and the government’s ambition to become AI-native within the next four years,” he said. The company is also expanding its Asia-Pacific footprint, with new offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong AppliedAI