This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on April 27, 2026 - May 3, 2026

Ever imagined robots helping around the house with chores or supporting elderly parents at home? What was once just a sci-fi trope is now becoming a reality with I-Bhd’s (KL:IBHD) latest residential development in i-City of Shah Alam, Selangor, called AI Living.

In an exclusive interview with City & Country, group executive chairman and founder Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong says, “AI Living represents the next phase of i-City’s evolution, from a digital city into an AI- and robotics-enabled urban ecosystem.”

He highlights that unlike conventional developments where technology is layered onto completed buildings, AI Living is designed from the outset as an AI-native residential environment. This means aligning architecture, infrastructure and operations with how intelligent systems and robotics function, both today and over the long term.

Poised to be part of a larger 4.3-acre mixed-use development that consists of offices and a retail hub, AI Living offers a 46-storey residential tower comprising 500 units, of which 164 are two-room units with a built-up of 650 sq ft, 170 are 2-room units at 800 sq ft and 166 are 3-plus-1-room layouts with a built-up of 1,160 sq ft. Units are priced from RM 1,050 psf.

Lim says AI Living will be the first launch of the RM1.2 billion mixed-use development, which is scheduled for October, followed by the offices and retail hub in 1H2027.

According to Lim, the AI Living project forms the second component of I-Bhd’s broader AI and robotics plan, with the first one being the AI World Experience Centre that opened in i-City in January. The experience centre serves as a learning platform about AI for visitors.

An earlier report by The Edge Malaysia says the centre features 100 humanoid robots that allow visitors to experience how AI can be embedded into future residential, commercial, wellness and lifestyle environments in i-City.

Lim adds that the centre is also a research and development space plus a training ground for the robots and personnel in preparation for the AI Living project.

Explaining further how AI would fit into the development, Lim says AI Living is structured to ensure that units are equipped with the necessary infrastructure, even if buyers choose not to subscribe to the developer’s AI robot services.

“What we are offering here are two key platforms. One of them is the robots. The other one is what I call the vitality system. Now, to be able to provide this, each unit itself, we have to put in the wiring, the sensors and so on,” Lim explains.

The concept of having robots as part of the AI Living development is just like hiring domestic workers to complete everyday chores in a house, he adds. Although the figures are yet to be finalised, he estimates that hiring a domestic robot would cost similar to a domestic worker.

On what services will be offered, Lim says all units will incorporate automation across daily functions, including the control of appliances, lighting and climate through voice, app or in-home panels, as well as AI-driven scheduling and reminders.

As for the optional robot service, it includes delivery to units and in-home cleaning.

The common areas of the project will also be AI-equipped with security features that offer facial recognition, biometric access, smart CCTV monitoring and digital visitor management. Connectivity is supported by fibre-to-the-unit infrastructure and building-wide WiFi designed to accommodate AI and robotics systems.

Offering a more technical perspective, the developer says the key shift in AI Living is that mechanical and electrical (M&E) is no longer just about utilities.

“It becomes the foundation of a real-time digital ecosystem that supports AI, robotics and integrated living,” Lim says.

He elaborates that this approach begins with a digital backbone that prioritises high-speed, low-latency connectivity, supported by on-site edge computing to enable real-time AI orchestration across the building. At the same time, the development incorporates sensor-ready infrastructure, with embedded networks designed to feed into a unified AI system rather than operate as separate subsystems.

The building is also planned to support robotics at an infrastructure level. M&E systems are configured to accommodate robot operations, including charging requirements and integration with lifts and access control systems. Above conventional building management systems, Lim says their AI technology also enables predictive maintenance, adaptive energy use and continuous optimisation of building performance.

In addition, safety systems are also integrated across functions, linking fire protection, security, lifts and robotics to allow coordinated, real-time emergency response.

Similarly, he adds, the power infrastructure is designed to handle higher and evolving loads from robotics, electric vehicle charging, sensors and edge computing, with redundancy and uninterruptible power supply for critical systems.

“The overall design adopts a vendor-agnostic and modular approach, allowing technologies to be upgraded over time without requiring structural changes or dependence on a single provider,” he says.

Now, where did this technology come from? Lim says I-Bhd entered into a long-term strategic partnership with AgiBot, a humanoid robotics company headquartered in Shanghai, China.

To put it simply, AgiBot will provide the robots to the developer. Then, the robots will be brought to the AI World Experience Centre in i-City to be programmed as domestic helpers and caregivers for the elderly and disabled. Lim says the developer is also working on a programme to teach the robot local Malaysian dialects.

Robotics services are offered on a subscription basis separate from standard maintenance fees of an estimated 50 sen psf for each unit, Lim says.

“As far as your house is concerned, it’s a normal service charge. So when you subscribe to the robot, then you pay [an additional fee] for the robot.”

Lim adds that the developer will be operating and managing the robot services in collaboration with AgiBot.

For common areas, the developer expects operational efficiencies to offset costs.

“The game plan is that we will ensure that the common area maintenance is well taken care of, and you [the owner] don’t need to pay extra for that as it [robots] can work 24 hours and it won’t fall sick or claim overtime; hence, it should not affect the service charge,” he explains.

Unit pricing is also expected to remain aligned with conventional developments, despite additional technology costs.

“We’re pricing it [AI Living] the same as our normal units. As far as the maintenance charges are concerned, we also follow the same standard. Technology cost will probably add 5% to 10% of the total construction cost … [but it is] still within our business model [budget].

“Our model differs because we retain ownership of a significant portion of the development. This allows us to reinvest in technology upgrades over time. Since we benefit directly, we take the lead in upgrading systems rather than relying on management bodies. We are not a build-and-exit developer. We remain involved long term,” Lim says.

From a wider perspective, Lim says I-Bhd’s approach to AI and robotics at i-City is guided by three key directions, of which the first is productivity and cost efficiency.

“Across a township-scale development, there are many operational layers from facilities management and security to maintenance and logistics. AI and robotics can help streamline these functions, improve efficiency and reduce reliance on manual processes over time,” he says. “The second is enhancing the customer and user experience.”

He explains that in sectors such as retail and hospitality, one of the biggest challenges is consistency of service, and AI and robotics are able to offer a way to standardise and elevate service delivery whether through faster response times, better personalisation or more reliable execution of routine tasks.

The third, he says, is the creation of new revenue streams. “Beyond operational improvements, we see AI and robotics as enabling new business models. One example is the RaaS model, which allows users to access robotics solutions on a subscription basis.”

The AI Living concept builds on the developer’s earlier initiatives in connected digital infrastructure at i-City, says Lim.

“If you look at our history, we have started off as an institutional city. As time went on, we just incorporated home automation and so on. So we were looking for a technology that is relevant to the consumers. As AI and robots started becoming more relevant, we thought that was the direction we needed to take,” Lim says.

For the past two decades, he says, digital transformation has largely been confined to screens such as smartphones, apps and cloud platforms.

“What is changing now is that AI is moving into the physical world through robotics and embodied intelligence. That raises a different question. Not whether the technology exists, but whether the built environment is ready for it,” he says. “At i-City, we have always evolved alongside technology. What began as a digital city focused on connectivity and data infrastructure is now transitioning into an AI- and robotics-enabled ecosystem. AI Living is a natural progression of that journey.”

There are also broader forces driving this decision, Lim highlights, including ageing populations, labour constraints and the increasing need for automation in daily life.

“So the inspiration was less about creating something futuristic and more about responding to what we see as an inevitable shift. If AI and robotics are going to become part of everyday living, then homes should be designed to accommodate them from the outset, rather than retrofitted later,” he shares. “We view the current initiative as part of a broader progression within the township. So, to us, it is a continuation of i-City’s tech background.”

The broader township still has additional phases planned, which Lim says will incorporate similar concepts.

“We only developed about half of the land in i-City. There is another RM5 billion of GDV (gross development value) to go. And the idea is to develop the remaining land with AI and robotics elements in it.”

Lim says the remaining parcels will continue to build on i-City’s mixed-development concept.

“This means further integration of AI in residences, leisure attractions, hospitality offerings, office spaces and retail components. Going forward, AI and robotics will be a central layer across new developments, shaping not just individual projects but how the township functions as a whole,” he notes.

The developer acknowledges that awareness of robotics capabilities remains limited among some buyers but expects this to change over time.

“The industry projections suggest that robotics could become a standard feature in households. That will happen because the CEO of Nvidia [American technology company] is projecting that in 10 years, robots are going to be products that customers can buy off the shelf,” Lim says.

The company expects that over time, AI and robotics will become part of standard residential offerings.

“What we’re trying to do now will eventually become the norm in the next 10 to 20 years. By the time, you won’t even think of it as something different already,” he says with a smile.

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