KUALA LUMPUR: Some 21,391 people had been trained for high-skilled semiconductor jobs as of June, just over a third of the 60,000 targeted by 2030, says the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).
“Up till June this year, a total of 21,391 talents have been trained through various talent development programs implemented by higher education institutions and technical training providers.
“This is to ensure that local talent moves in tandem with industry needs, to improve graduates' marketability as well as strengthening the ability of local companies to master technology and develop its own intellectual property,” it said.
In a written parliamentary reply, the ministry said 13 local companies had so far been identified as candidates under its "10+100" local champions target.
Under the target, at least 10 firms would earn annual revenue of between RM1bil and US$1bil (RM4.7bil), while another 100 would approach RM1bil a year.
"Malaysia's position in the global semiconductor chain today is focused on traditional back-end activities such as chip testing and packaging, which contribute low value-add and still depend on technology and intellectual property owned by multinational companies," it said in reply to Kemaman MP Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
The ministry said being a major production location did not guarantee the country's self-reliance in the long run.
In July, the ministry said 18,062 local engineers and technicians had been trained as at end of 2025. This means about 3,300 more were trained in the first half of this year.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also cited 13 homegrown firms as potential national champions last year.
The ministry said it was backing the Malaysia Advanced Packaging Consortium, which involves five local companies, while the MyChipStart and SemiconStart programmes support local chip design firms.
It added that it was developing a mechanism to match local intellectual property owners with industry and investors, and would introduce training programmes and career paths to curb brain drain in the sector.
