The 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic ties has brought renewed focus to cross-border collaborations in technology. Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia), a long-standing partner in Malaysia’s digital transformation journey, was honoured at the National Tech Association of Malaysia’s (PIKOM) LEAD 2024 summit for its significant contributions in driving innovation, fostering local partnerships, and building a thriving tech ecosystem in Malaysia over the past two decades.
This recognition highlights Huawei Malaysia’s pivotal role in the tech landscape of the country, where it has actively advanced connectivity, smart city developments, urban and rural digital infrastructure, green technology as well as digital talent development. Through close collaboration with local stakeholders—including Government agencies, telcos, academic institutions, and industry players—Huawei Malaysia has consistently journeyed alongside the nation in its journey towards positioning itself as the ASEAN Digital Capital, which is especially significant in light of Malaysia assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN in January next year.
PIKOM Chairman Ong Chin Seong commended Huawei Malaysia for being an exemplary multinational corporation (MNC) that has deeply engaged and profoundly contributed to the growth of Malaysia’s tech ecosystem.
“As Malaysia and China celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the nations, ties between our countries have grown in terms of trade, people-to-people, transfer of technology and investments. This is more evident in the technology industry over the last 20 years. At the forefront of that development is Huawei. A technology company with roots in China, Huawei has made significant investments in Malaysia. Not just in the employment of Malaysians, Huawei works closely with the local tech ecosystem to ensure the development of the industry. Huawei collaborated with MCMC for the Digital Leadership Excellence programme, helping technology ecosystem leaders understand the various domains of technology to drive its adoption and leverage its transformative capabilities to create better outcomes. PIKOM members were amongst the participants in the first cohort. Huawei is an exemplary MNC with deep engagement in Malaysia and a strong ecosystem development agenda,” said Mr Ong.
“We are deeply honoured to receive this special recognition from PIKOM. This award reflects our steadfast commitment to empower businesses, create value for communities, and support the nation’s digital ambitions. It inspires us to strive even harder, working alongside our local partners to foster innovation and forge strategic collaborations. Together, we aim to build an ecosystem that not only positions Malaysia as a regional technology leader but also ensures sustainable progress for future generations,” said Mr Oliver Liu, Vice President of Huawei Malaysia’s Public Affairs and Communications Department.
The PIKOM LEAD 2024 Summit, a premier event graced by Digital Minister YB Gobind Singh Deo, brought together over 500 delegates, including industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators.
The summit explored transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and quantum computing, emphasising the critical role of partnerships in building a sustainable digital ecosystem and driving economic progress.
Huawei has been in Malaysia for 23 years and currentlt has a workforce of nearly 4,000 employees, over 80 per cent of whom are Malaysians.
Malaysia is home to Huawei’s first and only global training centre outside of China. The Malaysia Global Training Centre (MGTC) is a state-of-the-art 30,000 sq ft facility located in Cyberjaya.
Huawei Malaysia is also committed to local talent cultivation through initiatives such as the Huawei ASEAN Academy. To date, 40 Huawei ICT Academies have been established in public and private universities across Malaysia.
Through its learning initiatives, Huawei Malaysia has already trained 54,000 individuals in digital skills, surpassing the initial target of 50,000 digital talents by 2025. These initiatives align with Malaysia’s aspirations to build a knowledge-based economy and address talent gaps in emerging technologies.
This year also marked the inauguration of the Digital Leadership Excellence programme, a talent development initiative by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Huawei Malaysia. The DLE programme initiative was a direct response to Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim’s call at the 2023 Malaysia ICT Summit, where he called on Huawei Malaysia to provide training to the upper echelons in the Government, industry and academia to equip them with the necessary skills to lead their respective organisations down the accelerated path of digital transformation. This year saw 50 participants in this programme, with the numbers increasing to 100 next year and 150 in 2026.
Through its collaboration on the National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA) and the Sarawak government’s initiative to construct 600 telecommunication towers, Huawei Malaysia is also working tirelessly to bridge the digital divide and provide underserved communities with access to essential digital services.
The recognition by PIKOM reaffirms Huawei Malaysia’s transformative impact and enduring role as a trusted partner in advancing Malaysia’s technological aspirations.
