Two academics have warned that Malaysia’s ambition to turn into a frontrunner in synthetic intelligence (AI) by 2030 may be out of attain due to the filtering interest in science and technology-related programs.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Selvakumar Manickam mentioned the nation can’t construct the AI expertise pipeline it wants with out a sturdy basis in science, expertise, engineering and arithmetic (STEM).
He mentioned fewer younger Malaysians are choosing science and arithmetic, which might depart the nation in need of expert employees in key expertise sectors.
“This is particularly worrying as a strong STEM foundation is critical in preparing the next generation for an AI-driven future,” mentioned Selvakumar, who heads USM’s Cybersecurity Research Centre.
“Without renewed emphasis on STEM education, we risk falling short of the talent required to sustain meaningful AI progress. While the national goal of becoming an AI nation by 2030 is commendable, it may be overly ambitious given our current capacities.”
Selvakumar mentioned public universities have made good progress in instructing and making use of AI, however extra work is required to develop homegrown innovation.
“Our universities are proficient at using existing AI tools, but we must also learn to build our own. We need to evolve from being users to becoming creators of new technology,” he mentioned in response to the 2026 finances in the tech sector, tabled final Friday.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Azizol Abdullah agreed that science schooling should begin earlier in colleges.
“At the university level, STEM education is manageable. The real challenge is at the school level. We need to attract students to STEM much earlier,” mentioned Azizol, who heads UPM’s wi-fi, cellular and quantum computing analysis group.
Last 12 months, the 2 public universities in Penang, USM and Universiti Teknologi Mara Permatang Pauh reported having fewer than 1,000 electrical and electronics (E&E) college students mixed, far beneath capability.
Nationwide, 16 public universities supply E&E-related programs with about 18,000 college students in complete, however solely a handful have greater than 2,000 every.
Industry gamers say these numbers should double by 2030 to satisfy rising demand.
The authorities has additionally acknowledged a scarcity of fifty,000 engineers in the E&E sector, with native universities producing solely about 5,000 graduates a 12 months.
The Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association has additionally warned that many factories are struggling to rent new engineers amid a worsening expertise crunch.
Tabling the 2026 finances, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mentioned Malaysia’s future progress hinges on mastering AI and innovation.
He introduced that almost RM5.9 billion can be allotted for analysis and innovation, whereas RM2 billion will fund the Sovereign AI Cloud to safe nationwide knowledge.
Another RM15 million will go in the direction of initiatives such as the Malaysia Techlympics and National Science Week to spice up interest in science and expertise.
Anwar mentioned the federal government may also strengthen the National Artificial Intelligence Office and assist universities in key AI fields such as semiconductors, drugs, cryptology, and digital expertise.