Malaysia working on sovereign AI cloud to protect classified information
Fahmi said MCMC and the Communications Ministry would manage the initiative, citing concerns over foreign laws affecting public cloud security.
Malaysia’s government is working on a sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) cloud intended to shield classified information from foreign legal and policy exposure, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said.
During an appearance on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme, Fahmi said storing sensitive government material, such as official documents, on public cloud platforms could carry security risks. He linked those concerns to laws and policies in some countries.
The project, which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had mentioned previously, was now being implemented, Fahmi said. Responsibility for managing it would lie with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Communications Ministry.
Separately, Fahmi called for Internet access to become faster, safer, less costly and more widely available to strengthen the digital economy. Its estimated contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds 25.5%.
He said the urban-rural connectivity divide had narrowed under Phase One of the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative, but signal loss outside villages remained a problem. Budget 2027 provides RM5 billion for Jendela, with coverage improvements focused particularly on remote and rural communities.
Better connections would help online entrepreneurs, students learning digitally and people using government services, Fahmi said. He also pointed to potential agricultural efficiency gains from combining 5G with robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT).
