Tech giant Google today announced a strategic collaboration with the Malaysian government to invest in the country’s digital competitiveness, including Infrastructure and AI innovation programmes. The initiative brings both parties getting together to help businesses of all sizes advance their digital competitiveness through skilling programmes, investment in digital infrastructure, responsible AI innovation, and cloud-first policies.
In a statement, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the collaboration with Google, which aims at accelerating local innovation and talent development in the field of AI, will help boost the nation’s digital competitiveness – in line with the the Madani Economy Framework and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030). He, along with investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz as well as Alphabet and Google CEO Ruth Porat were among those who attended the meeting earlier today during the Apec 2023 Summit in San Francisco.
Google said the latest initiatives are built on its investments in Malaysia over the last 12 years. It added that in 2022 alone, the company’s products and programmes supported more than 47,900 jobs and also contributed, directly and indirectly, an estimated US$2.8 billion in economic benefits to local businesses. CEO Ruth Porat regarded the partnership as aligning with the company’s local mission of Advancing Malaysia Together with the government’s goal to create a supportive ecosystem for innovation that includes more meaningful and equitable job opportunities.
Additionally, this new partnership also aims to provide Malaysians from all backgrounds with more digital training opportunities via Google Cloud, CloudMile and Trainocate at no cost. These are accessible through the Go Cloud programme, which offers online courses to help individuals better apply generative AI, data analytics and cloud-based productivity tools. The company said it aims to upskill 300,000 Malaysians by 2026 through the programme.
Google explained that learners who complete the five learning paths will earn digital skills badges that they can share on their resumes and extended 30-day access to more learning paths at no cost. It is revealed that this is built on Gemilang, the company’s digital training programme that has provided 31,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to less fortunate individuals in partnership with educational institutions and nonprofits.
Other than that, the government and Google Cloud will embark on joint AI launchpad initiatives to create new jobs, enhance public service delivery and help local companies tap global markets. The company will also support Malaysia’s refinement of its existing Cloud First Policy, contributing policy expertise, as well as its Secure AI Framework to account for the latest advancements in cloud computing and AI.
(Source: Google Malaysia press release)
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