Kuala lumpur: The National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) has successfully attracted more than RM85 billion in approved investments as of December 2025, revealed Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Sim Tze Tzin during a session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the NSS has not only secured considerable investments but has also developed 18,062 highly skilled talents, progressing towards its goal of producing 60,000 workers to support the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries. Sim Tze Tzin highlighted the identification of 32 smart factories under the Smart Tech Up programme, and the recognition of 42 companies as smart factories under the Smart Factory Recognition Programme by May 31, 2026.
The recognition is granted to manufacturing companies, including those in the automotive sector, that have successfully integrated Industry 4.0 technologies and automation into their operations. Sim announced that a total of 74 companies had received smart factory recognition as of May 31, 2026, with an additional 60 companies expected to achieve this status by the end of 2026, increasing the total to 134 by December 2026.
Responding to a question from Azli Yusof (PH-Shah Alam) regarding the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), Sim reported that 35 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-tier companies (MTCs) had taken advantage of the NIMP Strategic Co-Investment Fund (NIMP CoSIF), receiving total capital injections amounting to RM63.2 million by April 30, 2026. These companies operate in sectors such as electrical and electronics (E and E), chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and information and communications technology (ICT).
Sim further detailed the approval of 3,847 manufacturing investment projects worth RM427.9 billion between September 2023 and March 2026, with the potential to create 302,058 new jobs. These investments span strategic industries under NIMP 2030, including E and E, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, and metal products.
Of these, 2,688 projects, representing 69.9 percent of the approved investments worth RM318.5 billion, have been realised between 2023 and December 2025. Sim noted that 28 percent of the approved investments, involving 1,076 projects worth RM101.1 billion, are in the early stages of implementation, moving through key phases such as site planning, business registration, and initial facility construction.
Sim emphasized that combining the realised projects with those under implementation, the overall investment commitment reaches 97.9 percent of all approved projects. However, he acknowledged that a small proportion, 2.2 percent consisting of 83 investment projects, remain unimplemented due to external factors like changes in investors' global business strategies.