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Malaysia aims to develop 5,000 chip designers through Arm partnership

A collaborative initiative between Malaysia and Arm Ltd seeks to build a pipeline of semiconductor talent, with plans to train 10,000 students over the next four years. Economy Minister Akmal Nasir identified the 5,000 designer target as a crucial milestone in the nation's push to strengthen its semiconductor workforce.

LSN Malaysia · 21 August 2026

Malaysia aims to develop 5,000 chip designers through Arm partnership

Malaysia's collaboration with global semiconductor company Arm Ltd represents a strategic effort to address the country's growing demand for skilled chip design professionals. The partnership aims to produce 5,000 qualified chip designers by 2027, marking a significant step toward developing the region's technical capacity in advanced computing.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasir highlighted the importance of this numerical target as part of a broader four-year initiative. The minister indicated that training 10,000 students represents the overarching commitment from Malaysian authorities to build a sustainable talent ecosystem in the semiconductor sector.

The cooperation between Malaysia and Arm Ltd underscores the country's ambitions to establish itself as a regional hub for chip design and innovation. By developing local expertise in semiconductor engineering, Malaysia seeks to reduce its reliance on imported talent while creating high-value employment opportunities within the technology sector.

The initiative comes amid global efforts to diversify semiconductor supply chains and build regional competitiveness in chip manufacturing and design. For Malaysia, strengthening its workforce in this domain is seen as essential to attracting further investment in advanced technology industries and supporting the nation's digital economy objectives.