
PM Anwar urges legal protection for local creativity amid AI growth
He stressed the need for immediate action by the Communications and Digital Ministries to shield local artists from risks like plagiarism.
'Copyright protection should extend beyond cartoonists to films, poems, and other creative works, which increasingly face challenges due to AI advancements,' Anwar said during the launch of 'Melukis Dengan Hati: Biografi Perjalanan Seni 50 Tahun Karya Zunar' at Pustaka Raja Tun Uda.
He explained that such legal safeguards would ensure creators' talents are not hindered by disputes over authenticity or ownership.
The event was attended by key figures, including Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and cartoonist Zunar. - Bernama
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Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
TikTok Shop hits over 100 million daily product searches, drives strong e-commerce growth in Malaysia
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The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
New UK envoy to Malaysia to prioritise chip cooperation
Ajay Sharma, UK High Commissioner to Malaysia - Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom's new High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay Sharma, has made strengthening bilateral cooperation a key priority, with a particular focus on the fast-growing semiconductor sector and the development of integrated chip design and advanced manufacturing. He said the British government is keen to strengthen linkages and exchange ideas to increase the value chain in both countries in the semiconductor industry and the manufacture of high-end chips. This aligns with Malaysia's ambitions under the National Semiconductor Strategy or NSS to transition from outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing to high-end manufacturing and niche capabilities such as integrated circuit design. 'We have seen a Malaysian company invest in a new compound semiconductor facility in Wales,' he said, referring to SMD Semiconductor, a Sarawak state-owned firm that recently opened a research and development innovation hub in Newport, an industrial port city in Wales. 'Therefore, I really want to work with Malaysia on the semiconductor industry. Malaysia is already involved in different parts of the value chain, and we can complement and learn from each other,' he told Bernama after appearing on Bernama TV's 'The Nation' programme recently. Sharma, who succeeded Ailsa Terry CMG, had previously served in Iran, Qatar, Turkiye, Moscow and Paris. He also sees potential for a UK-Malaysia partnership in offering specialised courses on semiconductors and chip design in British universities, where a significant number of Malaysian students pursue higher education. 'We can also collaborate with local universities to bring Malaysian talent to the United Kingdom and set up courses here. Then we could see these courses develop and expand to Malaysia as well,' he said. He also highlighted clean energy as an area for increased bilateral cooperation, in which Malaysia has immense potential and where Britain could play a supporting role. 'Malaysia has huge natural resources, immense opportunities in clean energy and is working on significant development on carbon capture, green tech and energy transition. Malaysia also has creative and innovative technologies which can be used in our universities, labs and expanded into businesses. 'This interests me to try to get more investments from both countries in this sector as well,' said Sharma. Sharma said he is keen to boost two-way investments, especially Malaysian investments in the United Kingdom, citing successful ventures such as the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, YTL's Brabazon project in Bristol, and contributions in sectors ranging from water utilities like Wessex Water to power generation. At the same time, he aims to raise awareness among UK companies about business opportunities in Malaysia. 'Companies in the United Kingdom do not know much about the opportunities here in Malaysia, and we need to raise the profile to generate business interest. 'So, that is a key area that I would like to fix under my leadership,' said Sharma, who stressed this is even more important with Malaysia being a key market for economic growth in the Asean region. With UK-Malaysia trade worth £6bil (RM34.8bil), the potential for increased trade is huge. 'We should be doing much more in many areas, such as tech development, which affects everything from healthcare to life sciences to defence manufacturing.'

Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Anwar: Govt has secured more than RM63b investments through National Semiconductor Strategy as of March 2025
PETALING JAYA, July 24 — The government has secured more than RM63 billion of investments under the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) as of March this year, with RM5 billion from domestic sources and RM58 billion from foreign sources, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said among the notable projects included Carsem's advanced packaging for energy efficiency, electric vehicle (EV), connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI); NXP's semiconductor products, Infineon's world's largest 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) power fab; Syntiant's MEMS microphone and sensors; and Plexus's manufacture and re-manufacture of printed circuit Boards. On growing 10 semiconductor companies with revenue more than US$1 billion; and 100 with revenue more than RM1 billion, he said Malaysia now has at least 13 homegrown companies across the semiconductor value chain, emerging as potential national champions. 'Nine of them, including Carsem, Inari, Pentamaster, ViTrox, and Kelington, are each expected to generate over RM500 million in revenue this year. The other four are IC (integrated circuit) design and development firms with strong momentum, such as OppStar, SkyeChip, Infinecs, and Experior, each recording annual revenue growth above 25 percent. 'Fifty years from now, we want Malaysia to be able to look back at this moment as the tipping point when the country began grooming its very own Fortune 500 tech companies,' he said in his keynote address at the Asean Semiconductor Summit (ASEMIS) 2025 here today. On the aim to create 60,000 engineers and given how tight the labour market is for skilled tech talent, the prime minister said CREST and HRD-Corp are entering into a collaboration to develop a robust tech talent pipeline for the semiconductor industry from 2025-2030. 'This is a key commitment under the NSS, for which our proposed allocation is RM1.2 billion over five years,' he noted. Launched on May 28, 2024, the NSS is a government initiative designed to transform the country into a global powerhouse in the semiconductor industry. The strategy outlines a three-phase plan, backed by RM25 billion in fiscal support and targeted incentives. It aims to attract significant investments, develop local champions, and nurture a skilled workforce, and move Malaysia up the semiconductor value chain, focusing on integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, and manufacturing equipment. Moving forward, Anwar said Malaysia is now ready to provide stronger backing for the NSS, particularly in growing the 10+100 national champions, which will focus on three key areas. 'We will unlock more catalytic capital to support early-stage research and development (R&D), product development, and ecosystem scaling. This includes a suite of targeted financing instruments, matching funds, and customised incentives, alongside continued investments by our government-linked investment companies (GLICs), all aimed at strengthening local semiconductor capabilities and advancing Malaysia's position in the global value chain,' he added. To date, Anwar said the government has received commitments of more than RM2 billion in various forms to support the industry's development. 'This includes support by GLICs like Khazanah and KWAP (under the GEAR-uP initiative), Bank Negara Malaysia and through partnerships with global players. The government will also elevate its semiconductor diplomacy through deeper government-to-government cooperation, expanding market access for Malaysian firms and forging trusted technology partnerships. 'As Chair of Asean 2025, Malaysia will lead efforts to strengthen regional collaboration, positioning Asean as a resilient and competitive hub in the global semiconductor value chain,' he continued. In strengthening the talent ecosystem via the CREST and HRD Corp initiative, Anwar said the government will also drive stronger collaboration across public, private, and academic institutions to build a future-ready and industry-relevant workforce. 'We will also intensify our R&D efforts through strategic collaboration between government, industry, and academia, ensuring Malaysia builds focused capabilities and remains competitive in a rapidly evolving, high-tech global landscape', he added. — Bernama