Malaysian engineering, property and infrastructure company Gamuda Berhad has announced the launch of Gamuda Al Academy, an initiative aims to cultivate the next generation of Generative Al (artificial intelligence) talents for Malaysia, utilizing the power of Google Cloud’s cutting-edge products.

The firm said in a statement on last Friday that Gamuda Al Academy offers a comprehensive three-month curriculum, focusing on full-stack Al development, including front-end, back-end, and Al technologies.

The program is open to students, graduates, industry professionals, and start-up founders, providing hands-on experience through lectures, labs, Google Cloud Skills Boost and a capstone project.

Participants also have the option to extend their training with a three-month internship at Gamuda or its partner organizations.

The Academy is yet another collaboration with Google Cloud that leverages its data and Al capabilities to develop and deploy scalable solutions enhanced by Gamuda’s advanced use cases, including the award-winning autonomous tunnel boring machine (TBM) and Building Information Modeling Augmented Reality (BİMAR).

Gobind Singh Deo, Digital Minister of Malaysia, officially inaugurated the academy, underscoring the government’s support for this transformative project.

According to him, Malaysia’s tech ecosystem is booming thanks to the MADANI government’s strategic initiatives and commitment to turn the nation into a leading digital economy in the region.

As public-private partnerships are pivotal to strengthening the digital ecosystem in Malaysia, he is noted this is a timely collaboration between Gamuda and Google Cloud with an important goal to help build Malaysia’s Al talent pool.

“Technology has been making waves in the construction industry – from autonomous tunnel boring machines to digital twins,

“Modernizing the workforce and keeping up with the latest developments are crucial to avoid falling behind,” he added.

John Lim Ji Xiong, Gamuda’s Group Chief Digital Officer, highlighted the academy’s strategic alignment with the nation’s digital aspirations.

“The Gamuda Al Academy is our direct response to the call for a digitally empowered workforce. As we nurture the next generation of Al professionals, we are not just imparting technical expertise,

“We aim to position Malaysia as a global hub for Al and digital innovation, thereby accelerating the transition towards a high-income nation characterized by a highly-skilled workforce,” he added.

Serene Sia, Country Director, Malaysia and Singapore, Google Cloud also said Gamuda has been at the forefront of digital skilling, enabling the company to excel in digital innovation.

“We’ve witnessed firsthand how they converted engineering and construction experts with no information technology (IT) or data science background into skilled Al practitioners through Google Cloud skills training,

“These individuals are now leading digital transformation within Gamuda, leveraging Google Cloud capabilities to build enterprise-grade Al tools that their entire workforce is using to boost productivity,” she added.

She also said Gamuda’s commitment extends beyond upskilling its own employees, and they are actively cultivating Malaysia’s broader Al talent pool with the launch of their Al Acadomy.

“We are proud to partner with them on this endeavor and investment in human capital by providing the same proven expertise and resources that we developed specifically to train and certify our own in-house Al experts,” she added.

According to the statement, technologies like Al are revolutionizing the engineering and construction industry.

Al is poised to become an indispensable tool, assisting engineers and architects by rapidly generating and evaluating a range of design options and optimizing structures for both functionality and aesthetics whilst reducing carbon impact.

Moreover, Al’s ability to analyze vast datasets collected from construction sites will empower project teams to make informed, data-driven decisions, proactively addressing potential issues and minimizing costly delays throughout the entire construction lifecycle, said the statement.

Founded in 1976, Gamuda is a regional engineering. property, and infrastructure firm with a presence across Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, Vietnam, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The firm’s digital transformation journey began five decades ago, exemplified by its early adoption during the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) project.

The firm is renowned for its pioneering iconic solutions like the Autonomous Tunnel Boring Machine (A-TBM).

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