GOOGLE Malaysia new country director says the Malaysia Boleh spirit has become part of the company's DNA, and because of that, it wants to ensure that it advances Malaysia as a company and business.
"We know that if a country progresses, the business will progress," said Farhan Qureshi.
In an interview with the 'New Straits Times', Qureshi highlighted his priorities and the strategic appeal of Malaysia's technological investments.
He said his focus is to boost the tech industry in Malaysia, ensuring the company continues to contribute to the country's technological growth and progress.
"Malaysia has a significant geographical location that made it an attractive destination for Google's substantial investment, making it the second country in Southeast Asia to host our data centre.
"This data centre's going to help our users do many things on the Internet," he said.
BUILDING LOCAL TALENT
Qureshi emphasised the importance of local talent in managing and sustaining the technological ecosystem.
He praised the government policies that align with Google's initiatives, adding that conversations with the government set the decision to invest in the country.
He envisions Google's investment to have a significant impact on Malaysia's economy and job market, particularly in the tech sector.
He said the previous US$2 billion investment is a critical driver of economic momentum, highlighting its uniqueness and substantial scale.
"The investment is projected to create more than 26,000 jobs and generate about US$3.2 billion in economic activity."
He said this influx of economic benefits and jobs will contribute to the growth of the country's tech sector.
"It is a very important investment as we see a lot of momentum in Malaysia from various companies, and our uniqueness lies in how we ride the wave of this growth."
AI ERA
He highlighted the 'Experience AI' initiative, which aims to cultivate the next generation of Malaysian innovators.
He said it is important to develop an AI-ready workforce for the success of Malaysia's digital economy, noting the rapidly evolving digital landscape where artificial intelligence (AI) is only beginning its transformative journey.
"As our chief executive offer (CEO) said, AI is one of the most profound things that we have seen after fire and electricity.
"It is going to be part of everything that we do and it is just the start of that journey.
"As we move forward, it is important to have talent who also move along with it.
"An AI-ready workforce is not just beneficial but also necessary for Malaysia to thrive in the global digital economy."
He said there were anticipated long-term benefits for Malaysian businesses and consumers from Google's investment, particularly by bringing businesses and tech talent through training programmes.
"We want to help Malaysians understand the power and the use of our AI solution, and get them to focus on doing things better."
Targeting students aged 11 to 14, the programme aims to teach them how AI can help brainstorm and solve problems.
The programme is expected to generate a workforce capable of driving innovation and economic growth in the country for years to come.
"We have been working with educators to see how we can help them enable students to use AI, so the number of innovators born in Malaysia will be significant."
THE FUTURE
Qureshi sees Malaysia gaining a foothold in the global tech ecosystem over the next five to 10 years, particularly with Google's support.
He said Malaysia has shown significant momentum in technology evidenced by recent announcements and its long history with chip manufacturing and semiconductor industries dating to the 1970s.
"Our investment of US$2 billion is an important investment because it is going to strengthen the tech ecosystem in Malaysia."
He said that for any country to progress, the tech sector always becomes a stronger contributor to its gross domestic product.
"The idea is to bring more people to that poll, where this infrastructure investment and the skilling exercise are going bring more people to the sector."