Skymind Global brings its AI-powered Innovation City game plan to Malaysia

• Skymind Innovation City in Iskandar Puteri will accelerate digitalisation efforts
• Aims to replicate its succesful deployment in China with Digital Fujian in 2018

Skymind Global Limited, a global leader in AI technology, plans to bring its global experience to Malaysia and change the landscape of cities there by developing the Skymind Innovation City at Iskandar Puteri, Johor. The primary focus of the innovation city is to boost economic and living standards using AI innovation components.

“We create value for city development and we have successfully done so in Digital Fujian. It is a fully functional AI city that is able to generate considerable economic impact. We will bring components that we have built globally over to Malaysia and eventually to the region, localising the innovation to better suit the regional ecosystem,” says Shawn Tan (pic, left), Group Chief Executive Officer, Skymind Global Limited which has a presence in 17 countries and counts more than 350 Fortune 500 companies as customers, including IBM, Huawei and NASA.  

In 2018 Skymind deployed its AI innovation components in the Digital Fujian (Changle) Industrial Park in Fujian Province, China. The introduction of the AI powered innovation components accelerated and made way for a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem within the area, with talent trained and upskilled under Skymind’s talent development programmes and with AI companies setting up their digital innovation bases within the area.

Thousands of talent have been trained in AI at Digital Fujian, more than a hundred startups have been attracted in with established local and foreign companies also setting up their AI R&D centres there. This infusion of business into the industrial park has resulted in a four-fold growth in land value since its inception.

Aiming to replicate its Digital Fujian success in Malaysia, Shawn adds, “We see great potential in building Skymind’s Innovation City in Iskandar Puteri, Johor as we feel that it is one of the country’s most dynamic areas.”

Eow Wan Lin, managing director of Skymind Future Cities says, “Skymind Innovation City aims to become one of the top cities in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. To ensure the success of this vision, we are working closely with several strategic partners such as IIB Ventures.”

Zulfiqar Zainuddin (pic), managing director of IIB Ventures Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Iskandar Investment Bhd, welcomes Skymind’s bold and exciting vision.

“Skymind Innovation City is aligned with Johor state’s digital agenda and complements Medini with diversity of innovation programmes to provide participating companies a vibrant ecosystem for growth, to foster innovation and entrepreneurship as Johor Digital Hub.”

Apart from IIBV, Skymind will be collaborating with more strategic partners locally and globally to innovate in Skymind Innovation City which will focus on three main hubs namely; Talent Hub for AI Talent Development, Innovation Hub for enabling technology and AI Innovators and the Regional R&D Hub for research and development of AI applications.

An introduction video about the Skymind Innovation City at Iskandar Puteri, can be viewed here.