KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's advanced technology is set to enhance Uzbekistan's energy and mining sectors, paving the way for more efficient, innovative and sustainable collaboration between the two nations, says the Malaysia-Uzbekistan Business Alliance.
Its president, Datuk Seri Dr King Lim Chin Fui said that a series of key bilateral agreements were signed during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to Malaysia early last month.
He said that following the successful visit, Malaysian businesses have progressively arrived in the Central Asia nation to explore further collaboration opportunities.
Lim, the founder and chief executive officer of FIVE Petroleum Malaysia, led a delegation to Uzbekistan to strengthen partnerships and drive the digitalisation of the country’s extensive mineral resources.
The team met with top executives from Uzbekneftegaz, the state-owned holding company overseeing Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry, to formalise a joint working group with the focus on developing multi-fuel stations (including electric vehicle charging, compressed natural gas, diesel, and petrol), exploring digitalisation of core business areas and assessing opportunities for leasing or acquiring oil depots.
Lim emphasised that this strategic initiative is a vital part of the broader energy infrastructure development, aiming to transform Uzbekistan's approach to hydrocarbon exploration and production.
The collaboration centers around the innovative technology of FIVE's partner, iRock Technologies, a cutting-edge digital rock analysis platform designed to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of core data interpretation.
“This technology will enable Uzbekneftegaz to optimise resource management, refine drilling strategies, and ultimately increase hydrocarbon production,” Lim said.
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Prof Dr Hu Dong of iRock highlighted that while data is the fuel, AI is the engine, stressing that without the data, AI would not function effectively.
“Through our work at iRock, we hope to help Uzbekistan future-proof its sub-surface resources, ensuring they are ready for new materials and technologies as they emerge.
“We are not just digitising rocks; we are preparing a nation for the future of resource management,” he added.
The meeting also included FIVE’s chief marketing officer Joshua Ng, iRock co-founder Chen Gangyi, oil and gas expert Loke Ean Bee, legal adviser Amila and local consultant Firuz Alimov from OzbekSynergy.
The group was given a comprehensive tour of Uzbekneftegaz’s headquarters, including visits to various centres focused on drilling management, modelling and digital projects.
Lim explained that the tour was critical for understanding the current state of core storage, management and analysis in the oil and gas sector.
“The iRock team assessed the existing infrastructure and proposed solutions to complement and enhance Uzbekneftegaz’s capabilities in core analysis.
“We gained invaluable insights into Uzbekneftegaz’s infrastructure and operational capabilities,” he added.
During the visit, the iRock team also met with representatives from Uzbekistan's Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology.
The delegates noted that Uzbekistan, which is rich in diverse mineral resources — including natural gas, lead, zinc, tungsten, molybdenum, and coal while boasting some of the world’s largest gold reserves as well as significant copper and uranium deposits — has expressed a strong desire to modernise its mining sector.
“This reflects our strong commitment to building long-term partnerships across various sectors.
“We are confident that iRock’s technology, combined with the expertise of Uzbekneftegaz and the ministry, will drive significant advancements in the digitalisation of Uzbekistan’s vast sub-surface resources,” Lim said.
He added that the mission of FIVE marks a new phase of comprehensive collaboration between the two nations, leveraging Malaysia's technological expertise to support Uzbekistan’s energy and mining development goals.
“This partnership promises to usher in a new era of efficiency, innovation and sustainability across Uzbekistan’s resource-rich landscape,” he said.
