Kuala lumpur: Two Malaysian companies, Oppstar Technology Sdn Bhd and Alphaswift Industries Sdn Bhd, have gained access to Arm Compute Subsystem (CSS) technology and the Arm Flexible Access (AFA) programme to accelerate integrated circuit design, research and development (R and D), and semiconductor technology development in Malaysia. The Ministry of Economy announced that the offer letters were presented under the Strategic Collaboration between the Malaysian government and Arm Limited, which provides the CSS technology and Arm Flexible Access programme.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, access to Arm computing technology will enable companies to accelerate integrated circuit design and R and D activities, including those in drones and advanced microelectronics. Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir revealed that eight Arm technology access packages, comprising four Arm CSS and four Arm Flexible Access tokens, had so far been offered to five Malaysian companies.
Minister Akmal Nasrullah highlighted the significant impact of this access to global technology, emphasizing its potential to catalyze more chip designs, intellectual property, and high-value product development in Malaysia. He stressed the importance of this foundation in producing local companies and engineers capable of propelling Malaysian chip products to global markets.
The collaboration with Arm is part of Malaysia's efforts to evolve from its traditional strengths in chip assembly, packaging, and testing towards higher-value activities such as chip design and research into advanced technologies. To support this transition, a mutual agreement has been reached with 12 universities to facilitate a more structured implementation of the Arm On-Demand Training programme.
Minister Akmal Nasrullah also noted the importance of synergy between universities and industry to ensure the training provided aligns with companies' needs, including coordinating academic calendars and integrating Arm modules into learning. He emphasized the need for a structured talent pipeline to meet industry demands, with collaboration between the Ministry of Economy, MITI, and MOHE to ensure successful implementation.
The efforts align with the 13th Malaysia Plan, National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), and New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) to strengthen Malaysia's position in the global semiconductor value chain and build a more competitive local technology ecosystem. The government encourages more qualified local technology companies with product development and chip design capabilities to seize opportunities under the strategic collaboration.