WAIC Connect Matchmaking Drives Malaysia-china AI Collaboration
By K. Naveen Prabu
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The WAIC Connect Innovation Industry Matchmaking session earlier this month brought Malaysian government and industry stakeholders together with Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) companies to explore potential collaborations based on local business and sector needs.
The matchmaking session was held as part of WAIC Connect Malaysia, which took place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Sept 7-8 with the support of the China Embassy in Malaysia and sponsored by Huawei, under the theme “Innovating for a Green and Intelligent Malaysia.”
DLG Exhibition and Events Co Ltd vice-president and Shanghai DLG WAIC Gravitation Co Ltd general manager Joes Qiu said Malaysia holds an important position in WAIC Connect’s efforts to expand connections between China and the Southeast Asian AI ecosystem.
“Malaysia is a vital and highly dynamic hub in WAIC Connect’s global strategic landscape,” she said in a pre-recorded address delivered prior to the matchmaking session.
Qiu said WAIC Connect, a key platform under the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), focuses on industrial matchmaking and business connections by linking technology providers with industry demand in different markets.
“We seek to bring the cutting-edge technologies, industrial resources and application scenarios brought together by WAIC to global markets, transforming short-term exhibition exchanges into sustainable global industry connections from China to overseas markets,” she said.
Malaysian representatives presented business challenges and procurement requirements across several sectors, including government, finance and education, providing Chinese AI companies with an overview of areas where their technologies could potentially be applied.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation head of domestic digital investment Danesh Jothiprahasam said Malaysia aims to transition from a “digital infrastructure destination” into a regional hub for AI application and innovation, with a focus on public services, healthcare, transportation, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) digitalisation.
“One of our key mandates since 30 years ago has been attracting companies to Malaysia. Huawei was one of them many years ago.
“Now, we hope to bring not only the old dragons, but the new dragons from Greater China or other parts of the world into Malaysia, because it is really the right time,” he said during his presentation at the conference.
Hong Leong Bank Bhd business development and e-commerce lead for PFS digital strategic initiatives Albert Tho, one of the other presenters, highlighted the importance of business processes, data governance, compliance and risk control in ensuring AI applications are sustainable, scalable and deliver measurable business value.
The Ministry of Higher Education's deputy secretary-general Datuk Ts Dr Mohd Nor Azman Hassan, meanwhile, called for stronger collaboration among universities, industry and research organisations to align AI talent development, curriculum and research with real-world industry needs through 2030 and beyond.
Selected Chinese AI companies, including ULearning, AllCam, Digital Hail, Epoint, iFLYTEK and Farben, subsequently presented their technologies and case studies in response to the needs raised by Malaysian stakeholders.
The session was divided into four dedicated zones covering education, finance, government and open networking, bringing together nearly 100 customers and partners from China and Malaysia for one-on-one discussions.
Participants explored potential projects and commercial collaboration, with in-depth exchanges focused on specific industry needs and solution approaches across smart cities, public safety, talent development, smart campuses, financial fraud prevention, smart healthcare and other key scenarios.
-- BERNAMA