Credit : Bernama Business's X
KUALA LUMPUR, November 4, 2026 – Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Semarak AI Malaysia, a national programme to speed up the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by giving government officers, businesses and the public the tools and skills to build their own solutions, Bernama reported on Wednesday.
AWS country manager for Malaysia, Pakistan and Brunei, Hussein Mohd Ali, announced the programme in his keynote address at the AWS Cloud and AI Day in Kuala Lumpur.
“I am proud to announce the launch of Semarak AI Malaysia. Semarak means flourish, ignite, or vibrancy in Bahasa Malaysia. So, we are here to ignite AI in Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Three pillars: Negara, Ekonomi and Rakyat
Hussein said the programme is built on three pillars, AI Negara, AI Ekonomi and AI Rakyat, each aimed at bringing AI knowledge and capabilities to a different part of society.
Under AI Negara, AWS said in a statement that it would make its Amazon Quick tool available to up to 445,000 government officers, giving public sector teams practical, hands-on experience of using agentic AI in their daily work. Agentic AI refers to systems that can carry out multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf rather than simply answering questions.
AI Ekonomi is aimed at Malaysian software companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which AWS wants to equip with tools such as Amazon Quick and Kiro so they can compete, grow and expand into regional markets.
AI Rakyat focuses on bringing AI skills to polytechnic students, community centres and schools around the country.
In line with national digital goals
According to Bernama, Hussein said the initiative is in line with Malaysia’s wider digital goals, following the launch of Malaysia Digital 2030 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in June and the setting up of AI Malaysia Bhd as a permanent national AI office in July.
RM29.2 billion investment through 2038
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who also spoke at the event, said AWS’ planned investment of RM29.2 billion in Malaysia through 2038 is estimated to contribute RM57.3 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and support an average of more than 3,500 jobs a year at local businesses.
“Access to advanced cloud and AI technologies enables Malaysian businesses to improve productivity, reduce costs and develop new products and services without substantial upfront investments in infrastructure,” Johari said, as reported by Bernama.
The minister stressed the need to make sure local companies benefit from the growth of the digital economy, including through talent and supplier development, so they become more capable and competitive in regional and global markets.
Why it matters
Cloud services let companies rent computing power and software over the internet instead of buying and running their own servers, which lowers the cost of trying new technology. For SMEs, which make up the large majority of businesses in Malaysia, that can make AI tools easier to reach.
The training element is also significant. By putting AI tools in the hands of hundreds of thousands of civil servants and reaching students through polytechnics, schools and community centres, the programme aims to widen the pool of people able to use AI at work, which the government has identified as key to its digital economy plans.
The launch adds to a series of major technology investments and partnerships announced in Malaysia as the country positions itself as a regional hub for data centres, cloud computing and AI. Further details on how organisations and individuals can join the three pillars are expected to be shared by AWS.
Source : Bernama
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