KUALA LUMPUR Nov 12): The government is strengthening ties with developed countries and leading multinational companies in the semiconductor industry in an effort to increase technological collaboration, said the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti).

“Through this approach, the government hopes to increase technology and knowledge transfer, gain expertise in high-tech chip production as well as attract more investments from multinational companies that want to take advantage of the country's market potential and infrastructure,” it said.

Miti was making a written reply on the parliament website today to a question by Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (PH-Gombak) regarding the latest status and details of the National Semiconductor Strategy and support measures to increase the potential of the semiconductor industry, especially at the high-end level.

Miti said that as of the third quarter of 2024, several important advancements had been achieved in the country's semiconductor industry, among which a total of 500 engineers and 557 technical workers had been trained to strengthen Malaysia's technical expertise in integrated circuit (IC) design and semiconductor production while a total of 4,673 individuals had been employed.

The government has successfully attracted investments worth RM34.6 billion as of the third quarter of 2024, of which RM0.97 billion was from domestic investments while RM34 billion was from foreign investments and as many as three local IC design companies had been established during that period, it said.

Miti also said the annual total sales rate for electric vehicles (EVs) including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) achieved as of September 2024 was 5.11%, while for the entire year 2023, the rate was 4.12%.

It said the total usage of new passenger and commercial BEVs is higher in 2024 with 15,876 units and 13,513 units in 2023, compared to 3,146 units in 2020.

“This achievement is the result of the joint efforts of ministries and government agencies with the industry to help ensure the formation of the EV industry ecosystem is more planned and orderly.

"Before 2018, the usage of EVs was low and had not developed widely in Malaysia and the region," it said.

From the planning aspect, the government has set a target of 10,000 public charging points by 2025 covering all states including strategic locations, whether based on demand or access, MITI said in a reply to Zahir Hassan's (PH-Wangsa Maju) question regarding the ministry's strategy to increase the use of EVs in Malaysia.

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