The Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention (SDEC) was officially launched today at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, marking a historic milestone in Malaysia’s drive toward becoming a design-led, innovation driven nation.
The opening ceremony was graced by YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, Dato’ Menteri Besar Selangor, and officiated in the presence of YB Steven Sim Chee Keong, Minister of Human Resources; YB Ng Sze Han, Selangor State Executive Councillor for Investment, Trade and Mobility; YBhg. Dato’ Paduka Syed Mashafuddin Syed Badarudin, Chief Executive Officer of Affin Islamic Bank Berhad; and Yong Kai Ping, Chief Executive Officer of Sidec.
Organised by the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec), the four-day convention runs from 8 to 11 October 2025 at KLCC and Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, under the theme “AI × Semiconductor: Blitzscaling Malaysia’s Deep Tech.”
The officiating ceremony included the launch of SDEC 2025 by YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari alongside the distinguished guests, followed by the acknowledgement of new semiconductor partners, reinforcing Selangor’s role as Malaysia’s data and chip innovation hub.
A key highlight was the announcement of Synopsys’ expansion in Malaysia through Intelligent Circuit Engineering Sdn Bhd, a significant step in strengthening the nation’s semiconductor R&D capabilities and opening new career pathways for Malaysian engineers.
The event also witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange between Cheah Hun Wah representing Oppstar Berhad and Dr. Simon Hsu, who represented AsicAI Co. and serves as Executive Director of AIRIS Labs. This partnership is aimed at advancing collaborative innovation in IC design to develop Arm-based AI-RAN chips through Oppstar's subsidiary, AIRIS Labs Sdn Bhd — another bold stride in Selangor’s mission to build a globally competitive deep-tech ecosystem.
Over four days, SDEC 2025 will feature two flagship summits — Semiconductor Innovation and AI Innovation — alongside the Malaysia Semiconductor Recruitment Day and the Selangor Twin Accelerator Programme. Together, these events showcase Malaysia’s accelerating shift toward a design-led, innovation-driven digital economy powered by talent, technology, and collaboration.
Building on Selangor’s emergence as Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital hub, SDEC 2025 positions the state at the heart of Malaysia’s semiconductor and AI ecosystems.
This year’s programme will feature world-renowned speakers including Prof. Jack Sun (Former CTO, TSMC), CK Tseng (President, Arm ASEAN), June Paik (CEO, FuriosaAI), Jim Keller (CEO, Tenstorrent), and YH Simon Hsu (Director, NARLabs Taiwan), who will share insights on how AI and semiconductors are transforming global industries.
Complementing these discussions is the Malaysia Semiconductor Recruitment Day 2025, connecting top engineering talent with over 30 semiconductor companies offering 500 career opportunities — making it the country’s largest hiring event for the deep-tech sector.
Highlighting the convention’s mission, Mr. Yong Kai Ping, Chief Executive Officer of Sidec, said:“SDEC 2025 is more than a conference — it is Malaysia’s bridge to the future of deep technology. By uniting the worlds of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, we are shaping the next decade of innovation made by Malaysia, not just made in Malaysia.”
As Main Sponsor, AFFIN Group plays a key role in empowering Malaysia’s digital economy by supporting entrepreneurs and technology-driven SMEs.
Dato’ Paduka Syed Mashafuddin Syed Badarudin, Chief Executive Officer of Affin Islamic Bank Berhad, shared: “AFFIN Group is proud to stand alongside Sidec and the Selangor State Government in advancing Malaysia’s deep-tech ecosystem. Through strategic collaborations like SDEC 2025, we aim to bridge finance and innovation, fuelling growth for startups, SMEs, technology enterprises and large companies that will define Malaysia’s next decade of digital leadership.”
Marking its 10th anniversary, SDEC 2025 underscores Selangor’s decade-long commitment to advancing the digital economy through landmark initiatives such as the Malaysia Semiconductor IC Design Park, and the Selangor Twin Accelerator Programme.
The convention is supported by strategic partners including Xendit (Strategic Payment Partner) Plug and Play APAC (Strategic Global Partner), Arm, Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Cradle, Cyberview, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA), Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) and Internet Alliance (IA).
As Malaysia’s deep-tech ambitions gain momentum, SDEC 2025 stands as the region’s most comprehensive platform to connect innovation, industry, and investment — cementing Selangor’s position as the launchpad for Southeast Asia’s next wave of digital breakthroughs.
This content is provided by Sidec
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