Malaysia, Google collaborate in boosting digital competitiveness

The Malaysian government and Google have announced a strategic collaboration to create inclusive growth opportunities for more Malaysians and homegrown companies in the fast-growing digital economy.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (fifth, left) witnessing the exchange of MoU between Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Arham Abdul Rahman (fourth, left) and President and Chief Investment Officer; Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet and Google, Ruth Porat (fifth, right) in San Francisco, the US (Photo: https://www.thestar.com.my/)

Google said in a statement on November 16 that the collaboration brings both parties together to help businesses of all sizes advance their digital competitiveness through skilling programmes, investment in digital infrastructure, responsible artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, and cloud-first policies.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, said this latest commitment by Google will certainly boost Malaysia’s digital competitiveness, in line with the Madani Economy Framework and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030).

Malaysia’s Madani Economy Framework aims to increase the size of Malaysia’s economic pie, as well as ensure that all stakeholders will enjoy the ensuing socio-economic benefits, he said.

Google said the latest initiatives are built on its investments in Malaysia over the last 12 years. In 2022, the company’s products and programmes supported more than 47,900 jobs and also contributed, directly and indirectly, an estimated 2.8 billion USD in economic benefits to local businesses.

Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the country welcomes Google’s continued contributions to homegrown businesses, especially through programmes that nurture skilled talent and help Malaysia’s small businesses scale regionally.

Under the agreement, Google will upskill 300,000 Malaysians by 2026 with five digital learning paths through Google Cloud, CloudMile, and Trainocate platforms./.

VNA