‘sarawak Ready To Anchor Global Supply Chains’

KUCHING (Sept 30): Sarawak is ready for the next industrial revolution, but the real test is capturing economic value from the investment flowing into the state, industry players said.

SMD Semiconductor Sdn Bhd (SMD Semiconductor) chief executive officer Shariman Jamil, speaking at the Sarawak Global Supply Chain & Sourcing Programme held here on Tuesday, said the state was 100 per cent ready.

“The next challenge is not about readiness. The next challenge for Sarawak is how do we capture the economic values through the investment that comes in,” he said during a panel session titled “Enabling Industrial Growth In Sarawak”.

He said the state’s semiconductor ecosystem, which SMD has been building since it began operations in 2023, now covers integrated circuit (IC) design and foundry, the latter through X-FAB Sarawak.

“Now we need to look at the packaging, and testing and qualification. So once we have all this, then we start to build the complete ecosystem,” he said.

He named talent and infrastructure as key enablers, adding that investors were looking beyond cheap electricity, land and water to how they could grow their business.

He urged potential partners to go beyond supplying parts and materials and instead co-create technology and local brands with Sarawak for export, pointing to ASEAN’s population of more than 700 million.

“Sarawak can no longer serve your global ambition if we just look at Sarawak market. But if we look at Sarawak as your industrial platform for you to anchor to new market, we are your right partners,” he said.

He described power semiconductors as the future technology for Sarawak, and invited companies in renewable energy and power generation to integrate local technology into their solutions.

“The end game is not about attracting more investment for Sarawak alone. I think the real game here is how we convert or translate that industrial investment into a connected ecosystem of local suppliers, skilled talent and eventually a new market,” he said.

On the flip side, Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd group president and chief executive officer Anuar Ismail said Sarawak was ready on condition that its ecosystem improved.

He pointed out that the links between power, water, land, ports and talent had to be strengthened because having infrastructure alone did not guarantee success.

He said the port operator is working closely with Shanghai Port to use its operating system to make its ports smarter and more integrated, and invited ideas on developing green port capabilities.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Energy Bhd vice president for commercial and business development Leslie Chai Kim Pau identified three areas where suppliers could join the ecosystem.

The first, he said, is technology partnerships in digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and energy efficiency. The second is renewable energy investment. The third is capability partnerships covering financing, project execution standards and access to regional markets.

The post ‘Sarawak ready to anchor global supply chains’ appeared first on Borneo Post Online.