30/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | APR 30, 2026

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SkyeChip bets on AI boom to drive move up value chain

BNM introduces RM5 billion stabilisation facility to support SMEs PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced the SME Stabilisation Relief Facility (SME SRF), a RM5 billion financing facility to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including microenterprises, affected by the ongoing West Asia conflict. BNM said it recognises SMEs in certain segments may be experiencing disruptions to operations, cash flow challenges, and difficulties in meeting short-term financial obligations. As announced by the Prime Minister at the roundtable discussion with CEOs of financial institutions on April 21, 2026, the SME SRF will provide timely working capital support to help viable businesses sustain operations and navigate this period of uncertainty. Eligible SMEs may obtain financing of up to RM750,000 for a tenure of up to five years, at a maximum financing rate of 3.75% per annum (inclusive of guarantee fee). The financing will be supported by guarantees of up to 80% from Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia or Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan, particularly for SMEs without sufficient collateral. Applications for the SME SRF will be open from May 15, 2026 until Dec 31, 2026, or until full utilisation. SMEs may apply directly through participating financial institutions, including commercial banks, Islamic banks and development financial institutions regulated by BNM. “Issuers are offered alternative funding avenues and investors gain broader access through fractionalisation and frictionless transactions.” Maybank anchors M’sia’s first tokenised sukuk issuance PETALING JAYA: Maybank is playing a leading role as joint lead manager, custodian and primary subscriber of Malaysia’s inaugural tokenised sukuk issuance by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional in collaboration with the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). This landmark transaction represents a significant step forward in advancing financial market innovation in Malaysia, and reinforces the country’s leadership in global Islamic capital markets. With a nominal value of RM100 million, the tokenised issuance forms part of Khazanah’s Sukuk Danum Programme, an Islamic Medium-Term Notes programme of up to RM20.0 billion, based on the Shariah principle of Wakalah bi al-Istithmar. This announcement follows Maybank’s successful completion of its maiden pilot project with Yinson Holdings Bhd on March 25, 2026 to execute on-chain foreign exchange conversion of Malaysian ringgit to Singapore dollars and deliver near real-time cross-border payment via its permissioned blockchain. Maybank president and group CEO Datuk Sri Khairussaleh Ramli said: “This initiative aligns with Maybank’s ROAR30 ambition of powering the real economy as it sets a new benchmark for capital raising.

o IC designer’s IPO involves only issuance of new shares, with no offer for sale by current shareholders

Ű BY JOHN GILBERT sunbiz@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: SkyeChip Bhd aims to move up the value chain with the onset of an artificial intelligence (AI) supercycle, through the back end excellence the group has built over the last 50 years and matching it with front end integrated circuit (IC) design capability. Non-independent executive director and CEO Datuk Fong Swee Kiang said that for the past 50 years, global semiconductor multinational corporations (MNCs) anchored in Malaysia have trained generations of engineers in cutting-edge IC Design. “We need to design, not just assembly and test manufacturing. SkyeChip was started because we had the ‘Malaysia Advantage.’ “That talent base is what makes today possible. This AI supercycle has created new demand for silicon intellectual property (IP) and silicon products,” he said during the group’s prospectus launch yesterday. He said SkyeChip has built a portfolio of high performance interface IP that competes at the leading edge, covering HBM and LPDDR memory interfaces, and its die to die UCIe interconnect IP, network on chip IP, and silicon products along edge AI applications, alongside qualified access to advanced node foundry technology and custom ASIC development capabilities, an advantage only held by a handful of IC design companies in the region. “Today, we have evolved into a globally recognised IC design company with operations in Malaysia and Vietnam, serving customers across Asia-Pacific and North America. “Our role model is Broadcom — a company that has built global scale by combining cutting edge silicon IP with custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) solutions. “We supply the silicon IP, the design

(From left) CIMB Investment Bank CEO Nor Masliza Sulaiman, Maybank global banking CEO Datuk John Chong, Prime Minister’s political secretary Datuk Azman bin Abidin, SkyeChip Chief Technology Officer Teh Chee Hak, Fong, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Sim Tze Tzin, SkyeChip independent non-executive chairman Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai and Maybank Investment Bank CEO Michael Oh-Lau.

activities for the group’s proprietary silicon IP portfolio and silicon products serving applications such as artificial intelligence, high performance computing, data centres, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Approximately 16% will be directed towards expanding the group’s operational facilities, computing infrastructure, and labs, while approximately 10% will be used to subscribe to advanced electronic design automation (EDA) and development software tools essential to the group’s IC design operations. The remainder will be used for working capital and to defray fees and expenses relating to the IPO. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd is the principal adviser, lead bookrunner, joint bookrunner, managing underwriter and joint underwriter for this IPO exercise, while CIMB Investment Bank Bhd is the joint bookrunner and joint underwriter. and infrastructure capabilities in Malacca. “By collaborating with Xinfengwei, we aim to explore opportunities in AGI data centre infrastructure, where demand for high-performance computing capacity continues to grow globally. While the MoU remains non-binding at this stage, it provides a meaningful foundation for both parties to evaluate commercial structures, technical requirements, and potential off-take arrangements. “Our immediate focus is to advance discussions towards definitive agreements in a disciplined manner, ensuring that any future development is supported by sound commercial terms, regulatory compliance, and long-term value creation for DPS and its shareholders.” As AI continues to reshape industries and drive demand for large-scale computing capacity, data centre infrastructure is becoming a critical foundation of the digital economy. As a landowner with infrastructure development capabilities in Malacca, DPS is well-positioned to unlock the value of its landbank through AGI data centre developments, with the potential to establish visible, long-term recurring income streams upon successful execution of definitive agreements.

expertise and the building blocks. “Our customers supply the application, whether for data centres, AI and agentic AI driven platforms, humanoid robots, or autonomous vehicles,” Fong said. SkyeChip, a Penang-based IC design company specialising in silicon IP and custom ASIC solutions, has launched its prospectus in conjunction with its initial public offering (IPO), ahead of its scheduled listing on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia on May 20. The IPO comprises a public issue of 400 million shares at RM0.88 per share. Notably, the IPO involves only the issuance of new shares, with no offer for sale of existing shares by current shareholders, and all proceeds raised will accrue entirely to the group. The IPO is expected to raise gross proceeds of approximately RM352 million. Of the proceeds, approximately 60% will be channelled into research and development land and infrastructure assets. Xinfengwei is expected to introduce global computing demand and potential customers, as well as undertake market development, technical operations, and day-to-day business management. The collaboration is expected to provide DPS with a platform to engage an international technology partner and attract global technology players, hyperscalers, and potential off takers for its data centre developments in Malacca. The company anticipates progressing discussions towards definitive agreements for the first phase of the project, comprising approximately 150MW to 180MW, with an estimated development cost of US$7.5 million (RM29.70 million) per MW. Based on a 150MW capacity, this represents an indicative project value of approximately US$1.1 billion (RM4.36 billion), subject to final confirmation and terms to be agreed in the definitive agreements. DPS Resources Group chairman and founder Tan Sri Dr Sow Chin Chuan said: “This MoU represents an important step in DPS’ strategy to unlock the long-term potential of our landbank

DPS Resources subsidiary signs MoU with Xinfengwei KUALA LUMPUR: DPS Resources Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiary, DPS Energy Sdn Bhd (DPSE), has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on April 28, 2026 with Hangzhou Xinfengwei Network Technology Co, Ltd, an associate company of Dingding (China) Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is an affiliate entity within Alibaba Group, to explore the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) data centre infrastructure projects in Malacca. The MoU, DPS Resources said represents a strategic step in its ongoing efforts to expand its presence in artificial intelligence driven infrastructure and strengthen its positioning within the high-performance computing ecosystem.

Under the proposed collaboration, both parties will explore the deployment of next generation AGI data centre facilities, computing infrastructure, and related technology investments in Malaysia. Pursuant to the MoU, DPSE will provide land, power supply, and supporting infrastructure for the project sites, while overseeing regulatory approvals, government liaison, compliance requirements, and overall project management in Malaysia. DPSE will retain ownership of the