KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): YTL AI Labs Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of YTL Power International Bhd (KL:YTLPOWR) on Tuesday unveiled Ilmu — the country’s first fully homegrown large language model (LLM) — in a bid to develop sovereign AI capabilities for Malaysia.
Ilmu, which stands for Intelek Luhur Malaysia Untukmu (Malaysian intelligence created for Malaysians) — was trained using Malaysian languages, data and cultural context. It understands and responds in Bahasa Melayu, Manglish and regional dialects like Kelantanese, across text, voice and vision.
Ilmu has been recognised as the top LLM for Malay on the massive multitask language understanding (MMLU) benchmark and performs on par with, or better than, leading global models in performance tests, according to YTL Power.
The exact cost of developing Ilmu was not disclosed. However, YTL Power said last December that its investments in the AI space — which include a 500MW green data centre in Johor, an Nvidia-powered AI supercomputer, as well as Ilmu — have exceeded RM20 billion.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described the development as a significant step towards building “an AI nation” that serves all Malaysians.
“Our mission is not to make AI a tool for a few, but a force for all — powering better governance, sparking innovation and improving lives,” Anwar said at the launch during the Asean AI Malaysia Summit 2025.
He warned that if AI is only used by a few, it will create a real divide, leaving a significant portion of the population behind. "The elites and technocrats must grasp this and start dealing with it as a priority,” he said, stressing that AI adoption must respect Malaysia’s faith and moral values while embracing new disciplines.
Anwar also highlighted AI as a generational opportunity for Asean’s 700 million citizens, with the potential to bridge development gaps, empower small businesses, uplift rural areas and strengthen public services such as healthcare, education and justice.
“We have made a bold decision. I'm proud to say that we are ahead with confidence in terms of digitalisation and AI — and we want to share this and work together with our neighbours in Southeast Asia,” he said.
YTL Power's share price closed one sen higher at RM4.25 on Tuesday for a market capitalisation of RM36.60 billion.