Global technology leader FPT and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Berhad, a state-owned entity from Malaysia, have formalized a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing Sarawak’s ambition to become a leading digital economy hub in Southeast Asia. The signing of the memorandum of understanding took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Both companies sent their top management people; those included Minda James, the head of Digital Economy Project at SDEC, and Pham Minh Tuan, the executive vice president of FPT Corporation and the chief executive officer of FPT Software.
This partnership will collaborate on co-developing innovative solutions and intellectual properties (IPs) tailored to meet the needs of Sarawak’s specific digital transformation. The collaboration areas are e-government, smart cities, healthcare, energy, and cybersecurity, all designed to enhance the region’s digital infrastructure and global competitiveness. FPT will act as SDEC’s strategic technology partner and play a critical role in nurturing the Sarawak digital ecosystem.
This includes fostering talent development and supporting startup incubation initiatives. By working with the local universities and technical institutions, FPT aims to set up special curricula and training programs along with internship opportunities. All this will enhance the skill levels of workers in the regions, and in doing so, add to the region’s general digitalization.
With nearly two decades of operations in Malaysia, FPT has established itself as a trustworthy IT partner. Bringing into play Sarawak’s strategic role in the future of Malaysia’s digital transformation, FPT’s leadership in expertise, as well as its high-class IT talents, we are ready to co-innovate next-generation solutions propelled by AI and other up-and-coming technologies in tackling various business challenges across the whole South East Asia region,” added Pham Minh Tuan, EVP of FPT as well as CEO of FPT Software.
SDEC’s CEO, Dato Ir. Ts. Sudarnoto Osman, noted that the partnership reflects Sarawak’s continued commitment to leveraging digital technologies for economic growth. He claimed to be confident that this collaboration would bring about the creation of modern solutions capable of meeting and outpacing both the local and regional stakeholders’ evolving demands.
Since 2006, FPT has emerged as one of the country’s largest digital players with over 1,300 professionals in such areas as banking, energy, healthcare, and public sector work. It is targeting increasing its headcount in Malaysia by 300-500 experts over the next five years and establishing a Global Delivery Center in Sarawak to cater to the growth in East Malaysia and Brunei.