KUALA LUMPUR: A RM30 billion investment by Intel Corporation in an advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Malaysia is seen as a key driver for the next phase of the country’s chip industry, said the chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the initiative will go beyond the significance of the cumulative RM49.3 billion investment made by the American multinational technology company in the country over more than five decades.
"In 54 years in Malaysia, Intel has invested RM49.3 billion - and continues to grow. The current focus - a RM30 billion investment in an advanced semiconductor packaging facility that is nearly complete and expected to begin operations this year,” he wrote in a post on the X platform today.
Tengku Zafrul stressed that the priority now is to ensure Malaysia fully leverages the investment to expand a high-value industrial ecosystem. "This is not just an investment. This is about opportunities for our people - high-value jobs, future skills, and a role in the global chip industry,” he said.
Malaysia now faces an important choice: whether to remain a technology consumer or emerge as a country capable of creating its own technology, he added. - Bernama
