MalayMail/Bernama-Apr 22
Malaysia is poised to become a powerhouse in clean and renewable energy in the South-east Asian region, especially with the emergence of high-tech industries driving up the electricity demand, said industry players. Speaking at the KL20 Summit 2024 during a forum titled “The Future of Clean Energy,” OCI Holdings Ltd chairman Lee Woo-Hyun highlighted several factors making Malaysia an attractive destination for energy investments which include its strategic geographical location, abundance of potential human capital and the conducive policies adopted by the government. Lee emphasized Malaysia’s stability amid geopolitical tensions, making it an appealing choice for industry players looking to secure their supply chain networks. This makes the country highly potential. However, Lee noted that for Malaysia to fully realize its potential, it needs to focus on developing the skill sets of its labor force, stressing the importance of training the workforce to meet the demands of clean energy and emerging high-tech industries. “The problem is there is a strong mismatch between some graduates’ actual skills and the skill sets required by companies. There is still a learning curve to bridge this gap,” Lee said. Meanwhile, Google’s Asia Pacific Head of Clean Energy and Power Giorgio Fortunato, also a panelist in the forum, emphasized the importance of a stable energy landscape for the growth of the digital economy as tech companies rely on stable and reliable electricity to operate their data centers effectively. Fortunato added that the tech giant is committed to providing upskilling opportunities for 300,000 Malaysians by 2026. Additionally, they are exploring the potential establishment of a data center for their digital services, accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) innovation to enhance economic competitiveness and developing cloud-first policies for the AI economy. Read more at:
