Kuala lumpur: A research, development, innovation, commercialisation, and economy (RDICE) programme worth RM185 million has been launched to strengthen Malaysia's capabilities in advanced packaging technology. The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI), in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) through the Malaysia Science Endowment (MSE), introduced the programme to assist Malaysia in achieving its target of capturing seven per cent of the global advanced packaging market.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, of the total funding, RM92 million will be provided through the MSE, with RM93 million matched by industry partners. MOSTI stated that the programme is one of the mission-oriented initiatives for the advanced semiconductor industry, approved by the National Science Council on May 11, 2026, as one of the country's national priority missions.

The programme unites five Malaysian semiconductor companies to work with local universities and research institutions on integrated research and development (RandD) activities. This was highlighted in a written reply by MOSTI on the Dewan Rakyat's website in response to Datuk Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim's (PN-Kuala Terengganu) inquiry regarding RandD investment details under MSE to support Malaysia's goal of securing a seven per cent share of the global advanced packaging market.

The five participating companies include SkyeChip Bhd, Inari Technology Sdn Bhd, FusionAP Sdn Bhd, Pentamaster Instrumentation Sdn Bhd, and NSW Automation Sdn Bhd. The primary focus of the RandD investment is to enhance Malaysia's capabilities in advanced packaging technology and to develop a high bandwidth memory 4 (HBM4) test chip as the first proof of concept to be developed in Malaysia.