KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is planning to establish a National Command Centre to integrate data across government agencies, enabling real-time monitoring, early risk detection, and AI-assisted decision-making.
In a written parliamentary reply on Thursday (Oct 15), the Digital Ministry said the command centre is a key component under the Malaysia AI City Initiative, which seeks to reinforce existing smart city infrastructure using data and artificial intelligence (AI) in line with the nation’s AI Nation 2030 aspiration.
“Its primary objective goes beyond developing smart cities. It aims to build the government’s capacity to observe, understand, and anticipate developments nationwide through a unified, integrated platform,” the ministry said.
The ministry explained that the proposed centre will deliver a high-level national overview of real-time situations, paired with predictive AI analytics, risk forecasting, and recommended action plans to guide executive decision-making.
The initiative follows a directive issued by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on April 10, instructing a strategic shift from traditional smart city development toward an overarching AI City framework.
Reassuring local authorities, the Digital Ministry emphasised that the new framework will not replace ongoing smart city initiatives, but will instead build upon their existing foundations and infrastructure.
To achieve this, the ministry is collaborating with the Housing and Local Government Ministry and PLANMalaysia to integrate urban data, legacy systems, and municipal operations control centres.
Under Phase One (2026–2027), proof-of-concept projects will be rolled out across Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and surrounding areas, focusing on three core domains: mobility and traffic management, public health, and urban sustainability with the circular economy.
The ministry added that plans are also underway to establish a National AI Marketplace, offering a sandbox environment for industry players, academia, and government bodies to develop and test AI models using approved, secure datasets.
Addressing governance and security concerns, the ministry noted that implementation will be anchored on secure data-sharing protocols. It reaffirmed that while AI will function as an advisory and decision-support tool, final authority and operational responsibility will remain entirely with the respective government agencies.
The framework will ultimately establish comprehensive governance, infrastructure, data, and technology architectures to enable a nationwide rollout across additional sectors and regions.
The Digital Ministry was responding to a query from Howard Lee (PH-Ipoh Timur), who asked about the initiative’s core objectives and the strategic roadmap following the Prime Minister’s directive.
