Huawei today held the official launch of its AI Lab & Innovation Centre at The Exchange 106, Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), Kuala Lumpur.
The new 13,638 sq ft centre will be Huawei’s main hub for the Asia Pacific region. It will not only showcase the latest solutions in digital transformation and energy, but will also serve to promote broader collaboration between Huawei, industry partners, researchers and educational institutions. At the same time, the centre will provide opportunities to train more local AI talents, thus strengthening the country’s and the region’s technology ecosystem.
According to a representative from Huawei, the launch is the first of its kind outside of China and coincides with Huawei’s 25th anniversary celebration in Malaysia. The center will serve as an AI industry development center, solution and demonstration space for the Asia Pacific region, and support Malaysia’s aspiration to become a regional digital hub by 2030.
Huawei also announced that the company currently has over 4,000 employees in Malaysia with 80 percent of its workforce being local. In addition, Huawei has trained over 70,000 ICT talents through academic programs, partnered with over 1,000 local companies and now covers 97% of the Malaysian population. The company also emphasized its commitment to the use of environmentally friendly energy, green transportation and digital health, including diabetes-related research through the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro which is scheduled to be launched soon.
The launch ceremony was also graced by the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who expressed appreciation for Huawei’s contributions over the past 25 years in Malaysia. In his speech, he emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is an important technology that can change the way the economy works, the financial system and the way people think. At the same time, he reminded that AI can bring risks if not managed properly, including cybersecurity issues and impacts on human values.
He also stated that Malaysia has established the National AI Office, which is developing a governance framework, strengthening data protection, and focusing on developing local talent and efforts to reduce the digital divide between urban and rural areas. According to him, digital transformation must benefit all, not just profits.
He also stressed to the younger generation that the modern world will demand a lot from them. He said that AI technology opens up great opportunities but at the same time brings moral and social challenges. Therefore, human wisdom remains important to ensure that technology is used in a balanced way and benefits all.
Today's ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Communications, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Haji Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
