Kuala lumpur: Countries seeking leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) must build domestic capabilities across the AI ecosystem rather than rely on technologies developed elsewhere, YTL Power International Bhd managing director Datuk Seri Yeoh Seok Hong said. In a statement today, Yeoh emphasized the shift in the global AI race beyond mere adoption towards the development of infrastructure and expertise needed to build, deploy, and control AI.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Yeoh highlighted the crucial question facing nations: whether they will adopt AI technologies developed abroad or foster the capability to develop, deploy, and control AI on their own terms. He pointed out that Malaysia is uniquely positioned with a foundation across all five layers-energy, data centers, cloud, models, and applications-built by Malaysians for Malaysian needs, enabling it to lead in ASEAN and beyond.

Yeoh stressed the importance of leveraging existing capabilities through enhanced collaboration across industry, academia, and government. Such partnerships are vital for Malaysia to evolve into an AI-driven nation capable of shaping its own technological future.

Delving into the essential layers, Yeoh described energy as the foundation of the AI ecosystem, crucial for training and operating advanced models requiring substantial and continuous electricity supplies. He warned that energy dependency on external sources could hinder AI ambitions before any technological development begins.

Data centers, Yeoh explained, form the physical infrastructure converting energy into usable computing capacity, with their location influencing governing laws and the speed of capacity expansion. Cloud infrastructure further transforms these hardware resources into rentable computing power for businesses and researchers, typically managed by a few foreign hyperscalers due to the high capital and technical requirements.

Foundation models, Yeoh noted, interpret user requests and generate responses, forming the core intelligence of AI systems. When governed by foreign entities, these models often prioritize a global audience, adapting to local markets as a secondary concern.

Finally, Yeoh highlighted applications as the layer translating AI capabilities into user services. Malaysia, he said, already showcases convergence through its ability to build autonomous AI agents, an AI-powered digital bank, and an AI-first telecommunications provider, bringing AI services directly to millions of users.