Sarawak strengthens its AI direction, explores new space frontier
KUCHING: 5 October 2026: The Sarawak AI Blueprint 2026 to 2030 is currently being developed to provide a coordinated approach to AI development across government, industry, academia and research, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
This further shapes the direction of the Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC), which plays a central role in advancing Sarawak’s AI agenda, bringing together the development of AI capabilities, talent, applications and trusted infrastructure, he said in his keynote address at the opening of the 9th International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
Abang Johari informed that the Sarawak Sovereign AI Infrastructure Platform, officially launched in August, provides the foundation for locally governed AI computing and the secure management, governance and protection of strategic government data.
“By bringing data, computing and AI capabilities under a more integrated and locally governed environment, it can reduce dependence on external platforms while strengthening Sarawak’s capacity to develop and deploy AI for its own priorities.
“The platform can support applications such as smarter urban planning and more efficient development processes, while providing a foundation for wider AI applications across government and the economy,” he said.
As part of the next phase of its AI development, Sarawak will also establish the Kuching AI Data Campus in Tanjung Embang.
Abang Johari said the campus will be supported by dedicated power and water infrastructure, AI computing facilities and digital connectivity nodes, and will be developed through a public-private partnership approach.
“The campus is intended to provide the physical foundation for the development of an AI Grid, while creating a platform to attract investment, strengthen our data-centre ecosystem and support the growth of AI-related businesses and capabilities in Sarawak. Alongside this, the AI Grid is being developed to connect computing resources and make use of Sarawak’s renewable energy capacity,” he added.
The Premier noted that taken together, these initiatives mark a progression from strategy to infrastructure and from infrastructure to practical application, with the emphasis on applying AI responsibly to Sarawak’s priorities.
The potential, however, extends beyond government, with the same capabilities capable of being adapted to industries where Sarawak has distinctive needs and strengths.
“Technology capabilities do not develop in isolation. Infrastructure, talent, research, industry, investment and access to markets need to reinforce one another if ideas are to move from research and experimentation into products, services and businesses.
“For Sarawak, this means creating an environment where a researcher can develop an idea, where a company can test and commercialise it, where investors can support its growth, and where the resulting product or service can find markets beyond Sarawak. It is through this connection between knowledge, capability, investment and markets that innovation can move beyond an idea and become economic value,” he said.
On another note, Abang Johari said Sarawak’s economic transformation was also opening the way towards another frontier, which is space.
He said one of the State’s aspirations was to develop its first nanosatellite by 2030 using CubeSat technology, with the value of the initiative extending beyond simply putting a satellite into orbit.
Instead, it is in the data and information it can provide, which can support planning, environmental monitoring and resource management, while creating opportunities for research, engineering and new businesses.
“In this way, our interest in space is closely connected to what we are building here on Earth. The technology may extend into orbit, but the value ultimately comes back to our economy, our industries and our people,” he said.
The four areas highlighted at IDECS26 — artificial intelligence, semiconductor innovation, digital talent development and the emerging space economy — demonstrate how closely these fields are becoming connected, and how developments in one can increasingly create opportunities in another.
Meanwhile, in his welcoming speech earlier, Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Dato Sri Haji Julaihi Haji Narawi said that building technological capabilities alone would not be enough unless research could be translated into practical applications, innovation brought to market and new technologies developed into sustainable business opportunities.
“If research remains in the laboratory, if innovation stops at the prototype stage, or if technology is adopted without solving a real economic or social problem, then we have not realised its full value,” he said.
He said the government has a role in building enabling infrastructure, creating policies and regulatory environments, investing in talent, and creating platforms for collaboration.
“When we develop a new technology, our questions should go further. Where can it be tested? What problem does it solve? Which industries can use it? Can intellectual property be created from it? Can a Sarawakian company be built around it? And can that solution eventually compete beyond our own market?
“These are the questions that turn technological capability into economic activity, and the government has an important role in creating the conditions for this to happen,” he said.
Julaihi said IDECS26 will provide the platform for industry players, investors, researchers, innovators and policymakers to strengthen the connections needed to advance Sarawak's digital economy.
He encouraged industry partners and investors to consider Sarawak not only as a market, but also as a place to develop new solutions and capabilities. He also urged universities, researchers and innovators to bring more ideas into industries, businesses and communities where they could create tangible value.
