Malaysia – Cisco, a global networking and security firm, has recently unveiled its three strategic partnerships designed to foster artificial intelligence innovation in Malaysia.
Under this alliance, the company has announced its collaboration with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), introducing an AI hackathon to bridge the AI skills gap and offer students valuable hands-on experience.
The said move is open to all university students from engineering and computer science faculties nationwide and will provide a platform for students to develop AI-driven solutions that could transform education, from personalising learning experiences to automating administrative tasks for staff.
In this event, Cisco will facilitate training sessions, which students will use to develop their ideas. They will also receive guidance and coaching through one-on-one mentoring sessions with Cisco solution engineers. A maximum of 20 teams, each consisting of two to five members, will compete in the hackathon.
Furthermore, the company also detailed its plan for helping Malaysian businesses tackle these challenges through the development of trusted infrastructure to support them. This move further extends to securing AI workloads and integrating AI across its entire portfolio to streamline the customer experience.
“The potential for AI to enhance productivity, streamline processes, and unlock new avenues for growth is immense. It offers Malaysia opportunities to strengthen our global competitiveness while ensuring inclusive development for all citizens. By embracing AI, we can tackle pressing challenges, modernise key sectors, and secure long-term prosperity,” said Fabian Bigar, secretary general at the Ministry of Digital, Malaysia.
Moreover, Cisco has also established two new partnership agreements as part of its Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program in Malaysia. This program operates in 50 countries worldwide, with the goal of promoting economic resilience and social inclusion by unlocking the value of digitisation.
In its partnership with Telekom Malaysia, the company said that they will focus on helping JDN modernise its digital infrastructure. TM will build a secure, agile network for JDN’s Putrajaya campus, enhancing network performance, reliability, and capacity to support bandwidth-intensive applications, such as AI and machine learning technologies.
Meanwhile, Cisco will offer AI-powered collaboration tools such as Webex Boards and Cisco Spaces, ensuring seamless and secure employee workspace experiences. Features including AI-powered 3D maps and real-time insights on room availability and occupancy trends will further assist employees in navigating the office efficiently while also allowing JDN to optimise its space utilisation.
Additionally, its alliance with Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) also enables Cisco to equip PNB’s innovation lab, network operations centre, and open collaboration areas with AI-powered networking, IoT, collaboration, and security technologies as it transitions to a new office.
The innovation lab, which incorporates Cisco’s Webex, Meraki devices, and ThousandEyes, also enables PNB to test and develop sustainable workplace technologies.
With AI-driven insights from Cisco ThousandEyes in the Network Operations Centre, PNB will be better equipped to detect, diagnose, and address disruptions that affect user experience. Furthermore, Cisco Webex Boards will enhance inclusive work experiences with advanced AI-driven video and audio capabilities.
Hana Raja, managing director at Cisco Malaysia, said, “Cisco has a role to play in every step of the AI revolution. Our unique position to combine the power of the network with industry-leading security, observability, and data enables us to offer visibility and insight across our customers’ entire digital footprint.”
“What we have announced today with partners like TM and PNB demonstrates how our AI innovations can help businesses in Malaysia enhance their operations, improve customer experiences, and drive sustainable growth,” added Raja.
Lastly, MyDigital Corporation has also recognised its strategic agreement with Cisco as a Technology Immersion Partner for its Executive Digital Leadership (EDL) Program, following a MoU document exchange between the two parties.
The EDL aims to offer C-suite executives from both the public and private sectors a comprehensive understanding of various technologies and their successful integration into organisational structures.
Cisco, in this sense, is set to launch its Internet of Things course as part of the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum that will provide an overview of IoT and demonstrate its crucial role in facilitating digital transformation across multiple industries.
