The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has secured MYR 87.4 billion ($22.35 billion) in approved digital investments in 2025, driven largely by the growth in artificial intelligence (AI), big data, data centers and cloud services.
MDEC said in a statement on Tuesday that this has significantly contributed to the RM152.9 billion* of approved investments in the information and communication sub-sector, as recently reported by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
The investments, secured from more than 600 Malaysia Digital (MD) status companies, are expected to generate over 31,000 high-value jobs, reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a leading digital investment destination in ASEAN, it said.
It also said this performance reflects a clearest strong signal towards Malaysia’s ambition of becoming an AI Nation by 2030 is progressing well.
Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the results reflect a deliberate national strategy coming to fruition and set to benefit businesses, Malaysians and the broader economy as Malaysia accelerates its shift towards higher-value, AI-driven growth.
“All the policies that we have put in place are clearly delivering results. These achievements validate the strength of our national digital blueprint in attracting high-value investments,
“By strengthening digital infrastructure, developing future-ready talent and fostering innovation, Malaysia is accelerating its progress towards becoming an AI Nation by 2030,” he added.
He also said these investments will deliver tangible benefits for Malaysians through better job opportunities, stronger digital capabilities and greater economic resilience.
According to the statement, domestic investors accounted for the largest share of digital investments at MYR 36.66 billion ($9.37 billion), reflecting strong confidence in Malaysia’s digital growth trajectory.
This was complemented by top three foreign investments from Singapore (MYR 32.16 billion [$8.22 billion], the United States (MYR 11.43 billion [$2.29 billion]) and China (MYR 3.80 billion [970 million]).
The investments are also contributing to the growth of high-value digital talent.
AI leads job creation with more than 12,600 roles, followed by global business services (about 9,000 jobs), data center and cloud services (about 2,600 jobs), creative media technology (about 1400 jobs) and internet of things (IoT) (about 1,100 jobs).
Meanwhile, MDEC Chief Executive Officer Anuar Fariz Fadzil said the figures reflect a maturing digital economy that is now shifting decisively towards higher-value, AI-led growth, positioning Malaysia to move up the global digital value chain.
“The numbers indicate that foundational sectors are stabilizing and laying the groundwork for the next phase of expansion, particularly in applied and agentic AI,
“MDEC’s focus is to ensure that every ringgit of investment is matched with real capability building for Malaysians, as reflected in the creation of more than 12,600 new AI-related roles this year,” he said.
He added that this momentum supports Malaysia’s strategic ambition of becoming an AI Nation by 2030, where innovation is not only adopted but created locally.
“Under the ‘Made by Malaysia’ vision, we aim to develop AI products, services and solutions powered by Malaysian talent, enabling our companies to move up the global value chain and compete internationally,” he said.
He further noted that under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Malaysia is strengthening its focus on developing local talent capable of building, training and shaping AI technologies.
“MDEC is laying the foundation for Malaysia to become a nation that not only adopts technology but actively creates it for the world,” he said.
As MDEC marks its 30th anniversary this year, Anuar reaffirmed the agency’s mandate remains firmly focused on turning national policy into measurable outcomes for businesses and Malaysians.
“From building the nation’s early digital foundations to supporting today’s AI transition, our priority has always been execution,
“Our objective is to ensure that investments translate into stronger companies, better jobs and a more competitive, resilient digital economy for the country,” he added.
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