Kuala Lumpur: The upcoming Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025 (SCEKL 2025) will place a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI)-based urban solutions, to promote practical smart city adoption among Malaysian municipalities and the wider ASEAN region.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) chief corporate officer Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid stated that the expo, hosted by the Digital Ministry and co-organised by DNB and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), is expected to attract 10,000 visitors and 2,000 delegates.
‘The goal is to raise awareness of the next phase of smart city development, especially with AI. We want to ensure there is greater adoption of technology,’ he mentioned in an exclusive interview with Bernama.
Ahmad Zaki elaborated that smart cities today are no longer limited to infrastructure upgrades, but increasingly depend on AI, digital twins, and high-speed connectivity to enable predictive planning, real-time services, and automated operations.
‘Smart cities have over 80 indicators. What’s new now is how AI improves service delivery – like knowing exactly when a bus will arrive or using high-definition surveillance to improve safety,’ he explained.
Furthermore, Ahmad Zaki pointed out that Malaysia’s major cities, such as Kuala Lumpur and George Town, already have advanced command centres, while smaller cities can benefit from affordable solutions being showcased at the expo.
Additionally, he noted the significance of ‘digital twin’ technology, real-time monitoring systems, the role of 5G infrastructure, and real-time responsiveness in enhancing Malaysian cities.
Ahmad Zaki provided an example in the context of urban services, highlighting that real-time responsiveness is crucial for areas like traffic management and port automation. ‘As an example, at ports, high latency used to delay container controls. Now, with 5G, everything is instantaneous,’ he said.
SCEKL 2025 is scheduled to take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from September 17 to 19, 2025.