Malaysia moves to solidify digital sovereignty through strategic “tech stack” ownership

• Public service delivery and AI readiness central to long-term digital strategy
• Malaysia aims to build sovereign control over data, infrastructure and intelligence

Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo (pic) said Malaysia’s future economic resilience will depend on building digital sovereignty “layer by layer”, stressing the need for the country to move beyond being a destination for global investment towards becoming a builder of core digital capabilities.

Speaking at the Tech Sovereignty vs Dependency forum hosted by the Southeast Asia Centre for Digital Technology & Society (SEADS) in partnership with Yayasan Malaysiakini and Luminate at Monash University Malaysia on 7 May 2026, Gobind said attracting investments from global technology companies such as Microsoft and Google is important, but hosting infrastructure alone is not enough.

“Hosting infrastructure is not the same as owning it,” the minister said, noting that sovereignty today is increasingly shaped by control over data, infrastructure and intelligence.

Professor Duncan McDuie-Ra, head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia, described SEADS as an interdisciplinary platform grounded in the region rather than one “parachuted” into Southeast Asia.

He said SEADS aims to support locally informed solutions to global challenges, including public service accessibility, AI safety and evidence-based policymaking as AI continues reshaping economies and societies.

“If the capital, platforms and intelligence are externally controlled, then the strategic advantage lies elsewhere. Without building our own alternatives, dependency remains,” Gobind said.

To strengthen Malaysia’s digital sovereignty, the ministry is focusing on several key pillars:

• Infrastructure and connectivity through JENDELA and the nationwide 5G rollout led by Digital Nasional Berhad
• Local innovation and talent development to support the creation of homegrown digital solutions
• AI governance through the National AI Roadmap and the AI Governance and Ethics framework to enable responsible and scalable growth

The discussion also explored how these investments can deliver practical benefits for Malaysians, particularly amid concerns over rising living costs and the relevance of large-scale AI investments.

Addressing concerns about how an US$500 million (RM2 billion) AI project benefits those struggling with the cost of groceries, the minister said owning an “intelligence layer” is a mechanism to ensure meaningful improvements in public service delivery.

Key takeaways from the discussion included:

• Timeline for Sovereignty: Acknowledging the global landscape, the minister noted that while other countries are racing ahead, it will take Malaysia longer to achieve full sovereignty.
• Data Integration and Privacy: While data-sharing across federal agencies has been established, the process will take time as the government and rakyat continue prioritising digitisation and security. Gobind noted that data remains fragmented, making digitisation a critical priority for effective AI implementation.
• Government Innovation Initiative: The initiative is designed to crowdsource ideas and position the government as a lead adopter, ensuring strong proposals are scaled across agencies.
• Talent Development: Building “intelligence fast” will require deeper collaboration between educational institutions and industry to prepare the national talent pool.

“This is not just about technology,” Gobind said. “It is about ensuring that the systems shaping our future remain within our control.”