- Developed partnerships with TM and PNB to advance AI technology
- collaborated with MDEC and UTM to close the gap in Malaysian AI knowledge.
.jpg "Cisco announces collaborations to boost AI ecosystem in Malaysia, unpacks AI strategy for businesses")
At its annual AI Day celebration, Cisco, a worldwide innovator in networking and security, formalized three cooperation aimed at fostering AI-led development in Malaysia. An AI hackathon to bridge the gap between AI skills and give students valuable hands-on experience was announced by the company in conjunction with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation ( MDEC ) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia ( UTM). Also, it outlined its strategy to enable Indonesian businesses to leverage AI for unlocking fresh company opportunities.
AI has the potential to deliver a US$ 115 billion ( RM493 billion ) boost to Malaysia’s gross domestic product. While it creates new prospects, it also introduces safety risks and risk vector that must be addressed. At Cisco AI Day, the business presented a comprehensive plan to assist Indonesian businesses in addressing these issues by integrating AI across its full portfolio and establishing a trusted infrastructure to support and safe AI workloads.
Fabian Bigar ( pic ),  , secretary general of the Ministry of Digital, Malaysia, delivered a speech at the event on the importance of AI in driving Malaysia’s digital economy. He stated,” The potential for AI to enhance performance, optimize operations, and uncover innovative strategies for growth is tremendous. It gives Malaysia the opportunity to increase its standing in the world while promoting equitable growth for all people. By embracing AI, we may address pressing issues, modernise important sectors, and secure long-term prosperity”.
Additionally, Cisco announced two collaboration agreements as part of its Country Digital Acceleration ( CDA ) initiative in Malaysia. CDA is Cisco’s co-investment and co-innovation system that operates in 50 locations worldwide. Cisco uses CDA to promote social participation and economic resilience by recognizing the value of digitization.
The first project will be a collaboration with Telekom Malaysia ( TM) to assist JDN in updating its modern infrastructure. TM will create a safe, efficient system for JDN’s Putrajaya school, enhancing community performance, reliability, and capacity to support bandwidth-intensive applications, quite as AI and machine learning technologies. To facilitate smooth and stable individual workstation experiences, Cisco does offer AI-enabled collaboration tools, including Cisco Spaces and Webex Boards. Employees will be able to manage the business effectively with the aid of AI-powered 3D maps and real-time insights into room accessibility and occupancy trends, which will help JDN optimize its space usage.
In collaboration with Permodalan Nasional Berhad ( PNB), Cisco will equip PNB’s innovation lab, network operations centre, and open collaboration areas with AI-powered networking, IoT, collaboration, and security solutions as it transitions to a new office. The technology facility, featuring Cisco’s Webex, Meraki devices, and ThousandEyes, may help PNB to analyze and create sustainable work technologies. Cisco ThousandEyes ‘ AI-driven intelligence in the Network Operations Centre will enhance PNB’s ability to detect, diagnose, and remediate disruptions impacting user experience. Cisco Webex Boards will facilitate inclusive work experiences with AI-enhanced video, audio, and other capabilities. Additionally, PNB will make use of Cisco Spaces to improve employee productivity.
Cisco has a role to play in every step of the AI revolution,” said Hana Raja ( pic ), Managing Director for Cisco Malaysia”. Our unique ability to combine network power with individuality
industry-leading security, observability, and data enables us to offer visibility and insight across our customers ‘ entire digital footprint. What partners like TM and PNB have announced today shows how our AI innovations can support Malaysian businesses by enhancing their operations, improving customer experiences, and fostering long-term growth.
Additionally, Cisco, MDEC, and UTM announced the launch of an AI hackathon open to all university students from engineering and computer science faculties nationwide. Students will have a platform at the hackathon to create AI-driven solutions that could improve education, from enhancing learning experiences to automating administrative tasks for staff.
The event will begin with training sessions provided by Cisco, the hackathon’s technology partner for networking, security, collaboration, and data centres, which students will use to develop their ideas. They will also be given guidance and coaching through one-on-one mentoring with Cisco solution engineers. A maximum of 20 teams, each consisting of two to five members, will compete in the hackathon.
Following an exchange of MoU documents between the two parties, MyDigital Corporation, an agency under the Ministry of Digital that oversees and facilitates the execution of initiatives under the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint ( MDEB ) and the National 4IR Policy, recognized its partnership with Cisco as a Technology Immersion Partner for its Executive Digital Leadership ( EDL ) Programme. EDL aims to give C-suite executives in both the public and private sectors a thorough understanding of how various technologies work and how to successfully integrate them into their organizations. Cisco will incorporate its Internet of Things course into EDL as part of its Cisco Networking Academy curriculum, which is one of the longest-running skills-to-jobs programs in the world. This course will outline the IoT and demonstrate how it affects digital transformation across various industries.
To date, Cisco Networking Academy has equipped over 150, 000 learners in Malaysia with in-demand digital skills, including networking, cybersecurity, and data science, in collaboration with 120 higher learning institutions and organisations offering Networking Academy courses. The programme has contributed to a diverse workforce, with 37 % of learners being female.