Microsoft Malaysia partners Mimos to establish AI and IoT schools in Malaysia

• Partnership will see the establishment of a joint lab in Mimos
• Workshops facilitated by Microsoft will be conducted

MINISTER of International Trade and Industry Darell Leiking witnessed the exchange of an AI Development memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Microsoft Malaysia and Mimos Bhd, as well as officiated the launch of Microsoft’s publication, “A Cloud for Global Good in Asia”.

The partnership between Microsoft and Mimos signifies the establishment of the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet Of Things (IoT) Schools in Malaysia.

First launched in 2016, “A Cloud for Global Good” is a policy book developed by Microsoft that offers recommendations for governments, industry and civil society.

The aim of the book is to ensure that the opportunities of technology are evenly shared and that challenges facing society are identified early and practical solutions applied. Over the years, Microsoft has advanced the policy framework laid down in the book, including new learnings and ideas within it. Its launch in Malaysia marks the book’s first entry into the region.

Congratulating Microsoft and Mimos on their partnership, Darell adds “Among the key learnings from countries that have already embarked on their Industry 4.0 transformation is the need to pay attention to enablers. This had been highlighted in the National Policy on Industry 4.0 (Industry4WRD), as we fully appreciate the importance skills and technology play in driving innovation in a country.

“Through this collaboration, we are one step closer to achieving one of the objectives of the policy that is to create the right ecosystem for Industry 4.0 by providing digital infrastructure and digital skills training.”

In line with the nation’s goal to become one of the main destinations for the high-tech industry by 2025 under Industry4WRD policy, the partnership between Microsoft and Mimos will see the establishment of a joint lab in Mimos.

The lab will be equipped with Microsoft’s IOT and AI programmes, providing access to development tools for learning purposes.

During the course of the partnership, workshops such as the ‘Hands on Lab on Internet of Things’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence’ will be conducted to help train young entrepreneurs and graduates to leverage on the power of IOT and AI. Throughout the duration of the partnership, Microsoft will facilitate the training sessions in these workshops.

“As we move towards Industry 4.0, industries are expected to benefit from technologies such as IOT and Artificial Intelligence.  At Mimos, we have had early successes in the application of these technologies in our key projects, hence we would like to see more technology adoption and innovation from our local industries,” said Mimos chief technology officer Thillai Raj.

“Equally important is to have all industry stakeholders to work together with the government to develop policies that are agile and conducive for a more widespread implementation of smart solutions. That will, in turn, increase productivity levels across all market segments,” he said.

Microsoft and Mimos have been long-term partners in building Malaysia’s innovative talent, having established the Microsoft Innovation Centre at Mimos back in 2008. The present partnership will see a revival in the collaborative efforts of both parties, as they provide a platform to support the Industry4WRD initiative by the government by providing training and tools for Malaysian to transition smoothly into Industry 4.0.

By enrolling in the Mimos Technology Recipients Programme, entrepreneurs and startups can venture further into the world of AI and IOT to help build their knowledge on data science, machine learning and AI modelling.

“We stand now at the dawn of a new era, one which is built on the cloud and based on data driven technologies,” said Microsoft Malaysia managing director K Raman.

“Following the implementation of the Industry4WRD policy by the Malaysian government, we are excited to work closely with Mimos to help build a future ready workforce in Malaysia, a workforce that is capable of capitalising on the full capabilities of AI, IOT and many more future technologies.

“Coupled with our ‘A Cloud for Global Good in Asia’ policy book, we hope to play our part in setting the trajectory of our nation towards being a leader in innovation as well as technological skills, priming ourselves for Industry 4.0.”

The collaboration between Microsoft and Mimos is also in line with the recently launched Asean Digital Skills Vision 2020, an initiative that pledges to equip 20 million Asean workers with digital skills and opportunities in the next two years.

It aims to address the employment and skilling challenges brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As part of its pledge, Microsoft aims to provide 15,000 university students with internship opportunities, deliver digital skills training to 2.2 million SME employees, and to hire 8,500 digital workers by 2020 across Asean.