Malaysia to table National AI Action Plan 2026–2030 in December

Malaysia’s upcoming National AI Action Plan 2026–2030 is expected to be presented in December, outlining priorities across governance, society and industry as the country moves towards its goal of becoming an AI-driven nation by 2030.

According to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, the plan is being prepared by the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) and will build on existing frameworks, including the Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics (AIGE) guidelines launched last year.

Speaking after the United Kingdom–Asean AI Innovation Summit 2025, Gobind said the new roadmap will detail the opportunities and challenges facing the public sector, communities and the wider economy. He emphasised that the document aims to support the government’s ambition to strengthen Malaysia’s position in the global AI landscape.

In his keynote address earlier, the minister said Malaysia is on course to become Asean’s primary data centre hub, with projections indicating it could host around two-thirds of the region’s capacity by 2035, supported by nationwide 5G infrastructure. He stressed that this growth must be underpinned by robust and trusted policies.

This year, Malaysia introduced a National Cloud Computing Policy to ensure a secure and sustainable cloud ecosystem. The government is also drafting a digital trust and data security strategy to enhance national resilience.

Gobind added that a National Data Commission is being set up to oversee data governance, promote trusted data flows and uphold data rights. Additional initiatives include the expansion of public-sector digital data through a data digitalisation policy and the development of a National Data Bank, intended to serve as a central repository of high-quality datasets from ministries and key sectors.