KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s electrical and electronics (E&E) exports – which includes semiconductors – could exceed RM800bil this year, according to the nation’s chip industry chief.
E&E exports climbed to RM711bil in 2025, after hitting RM601bil the year before.
“I don’t see that slowing down, I see that continuing. In fact, the number could be higher” this year, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai told Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin in an interview.
Semiconductors account for about 65% of Malaysia’s E&E exports.
The forecast will likely be achieved despite higher cost pressures on semiconductor manufacturing due to the war in Iran, which has driven up the price of helium.
Still, production hasn’t been impacted, Wong said, and Malaysian chip companies are “so far doing well” while navigating geopolitical tensions, tariff pressures, and a strong ringgit.
Wong said Malaysia has a “once-in-a- generation” opportunity to fulfil demand, describing the South-East Asian nation as a good location that can serve both the United States and China markets, as it seeks to move up the semiconductor supply chain.
Wong also talked up Malaysia’s prospects of attracting Japanese semiconductor investments to help fill some supply chain gaps in the South-East Asian country.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in Japan on a three-day visit, which ends today. — Bloomberg
