SHAH ALAM, 22 October 2025 – The Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (ASEM) today signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras Global), forging a strategic partnership designed to strengthen Malaysia’s global positioning and resilience in the semiconductor value chain. ASEM is supported by the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec), the state agency driving digital transformation and industry development in Selangor.
Through this collaboration, Malaysia aims to expand market access and reduce over-reliance on the USA, China, and Taiwan semiconductor industries — a critical step amid ongoing global volatility and supply-chain disruptions. The partnership will also secure a strategic foothold in India’s rapidly growing USD 100 billion semiconductor market, paving the way for new investment, joint ventures, and co-development opportunities that enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness as a design-led economy.
The signing ceremony, held at the Selangor State Secretariat Building (SUK) in Shah Alam, was witnessed by YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, Menteri Besar Selangor, and His Excellency B.N. Reddy, High Commissioner of India to Malaysia. The MoU was signed by representatives from ASEM and IIT Madras Global in the presence of YB Tuan Ng Sze Han, Selangor State Executive Councillor for Investment, Trade and Mobility, alongside industry and academic leaders.
This partnership follows early engagements and a working visit to Chennai in July 2025 led by YB Ng Sze Han, during which discussions with Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, laid the foundation for pilot programs in Malaysia.
Under the collaboration, ASEM and IIT Madras Global will roll out two flagship initiatives in 2026:
Graduate Skilling Programme in Computer Architecture and RISC-V Design: Focused on the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) — a fast-emerging global standard powering AI, edge computing, and data centers — this program will equip Malaysian engineers with cutting-edge design and verification skills. With RISC-V projected to capture 25% of the global semiconductor market by 2030, the initiative ensures Malaysia remains competitive in the next generation of chip design.
Semester Exchange and Joint Certificate Programme: In collaboration with the University of Selangor (UNISEL), this initiative will co-develop an enhanced Electrical and Electronic Engineering curriculum. Graduates will receive both a local degree and a joint certificate from IIT Madras, strengthening global employability and academic recognition.
Together, these programs are expected to train 350 participants in 2026, forming the foundation for deeper bilateral collaboration in semiconductor education and R&D.
“On our mission to India, our goal was clear: to explore high-impact collaborations that strengthen Selangor’s position in the global technology ecosystem. India is home to nearly 20% of the world’s chip design engineers, and partnering with IIT Madras — ranked No. 1 in India by NIRF (2016–2025) and among the world’s top 20 for graduate employability — gives our students direct access to world-class innovation,” said YB Tuan Ng Sze Han, Selangor EXCO for Investment, Trade & Mobility.
“As Professor V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said, ‘We want to shorten the gap, so students can get the right jobs.’ I couldn’t agree more. That’s exactly why we established the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (ASEM): to close our talent gap and move Malaysia up the value chain.”
Beyond education, IIT Madras Global has also expressed interest in establishing an IIT Global Research Hub in Malaysia — envisioned as a soft-landing platform for deep-tech startups and collaborative R&D. The hub will foster joint demo days, impact showcases, and industry linkages, positioning Malaysia as a gateway for Indian, Taiwanese, and Chinese semiconductor innovation within ASEAN.
ASEM: Bridging Talent, Technology, and Industry
Established in 2024 with strong support from the Selangor State Government and Federal Government of Malaysia, ASEM is dedicated to closing the semiconductor talent gap and positioning Malaysia higher in the global value chain.
In just over a year, ASEM has trained more than 600 students (1,200 since inception), built partnerships with over 65 local and global universities, and launched collaborations with industry leaders including Arm, Synopsys, and Cadence. ASEM targets to train 20,000 engineers over the next decade through globally benchmarked, industry-driven programs.
ASEM has also spearheaded national initiatives such as the Malaysia Semiconductor Recruitment Day (MSRD), featuring over 30 companies and 600+ high-skill job openings, and the Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Programme, which has upskilled more than 50 university lecturers in advanced chip packaging, testing, and large language models (LLM).
Towards Malaysia IC Design Park 2 Launch
The ASEM–IIT Madras partnership comes ahead of the Malaysia IC Design Park 2 launch in Cyberjaya this November, to be officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The new facility will feature an Advanced Design and Test Centre in collaboration with Synopsys, Keysight, and Ansys — further reinforcing Malaysia’s capacity for end-to-end semiconductor design and innovation.
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