Malaysia and Google Team up to Develop Local Digital Economy

On Nov 16, the government of Malaysia and global tech giant Google announced a strategic collaboration to foster inclusive growth opportunities for Malaysians and local companies in the rapidly expanding digital economy. In a statement, Google announced a collaboration that aims to support businesses of all sizes in advancing their digital competitiveness.

This partnership will focus on skilling programs, investment in digital infrastructure, responsible artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, and the implementation of cloud-first policies. Over the past 12 years, Google has made significant investments in Malaysia, and these initiatives are a continuation of that commitment.

In 2022, the company's products and programs helped to create over 47,900 jobs and provided an estimated $2.8 billion in economic benefits to local businesses, both directly and indirectly.

“Malaysia’s MADANI Economy Framework aims to increase the size of our economic pie, as well as ensure that all stakeholders—particularly rakyat (Malaysians) and small businesses—will enjoy the ensuing socio-economic benefits. This latest commitment by Google, aimed at accelerating local innovation and talent development in the field of AI, will certainly boost the nation’s digital competitiveness, in line with the MADANI Economy Framework and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030),” said Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, said Google’s continued contributions to the Malaysians and homegrown businesses, especially through programs that nurture skilled talent and help small businesses scale regionally, not only supporting the achievement of NIMP 2030’s missions but also enhance Malaysia’s overall global competitiveness to foreign investors.