By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, March 20 — The state government signed five memoranda of understanding (MoU) focusing on various sectors and industries at the Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) in Taipei, Taiwan, yesterday.
State executive councillor for investment and trade Ng Sze Han said the business trip aims to strengthen ties with Taiwanese enterprises, besides unlocking new paths for collaboration and accelerating Selangor’s smart state development.
Among other things, the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) also inked an agreement with the Taipei City Government Department of Information Technology to jointly establish the Selangor Mobility Lab, which will revolutionise the state’s transportation sector.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-An witnessed the signing.
“An MoU was also signed between Sidec and the Taipei Computer Association to boost collaboration and spur innovation between Selangor and Taipei, supporting startups in a competitive market.
“Separately, a partnership was established between Sidec and Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry,” Ng said in a Facebook post yesterday.
The councillor said the move would see collaborative efforts between both entities in research, development and pilot projects in smart city technology and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sector to nurture specialised talent.
The fourth and fifth MoUs involve collaboration between the Selangor Digital School and prominent artificial intelligence (AI) leaders Taiwan AI Academy and Taiwan AI Lab.
“This initiative is to provide AI education to graduates,” he said.
Previously, when tabling the 2024 Selangor Budget in November last year, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced plans to establish a Selangor Centre for AI to ensure the state can seize upon the extensive opportunities in the industry.
RM1 million will be allocated by the state government for this purpose this year, with efforts to foster cooperation with technology companies specialising in AI to attract investments and provide job opportunities.
SCSE, Asia’s biggest smart city trade show, occurs from March 19 to March 22.
In a separate post, Ng said Sidec brought along ten local startups to participate in the summit for pitching sessions and to allow them to experience large-scale exhibitions.
“Participating in these programmes will empower the entrepreneurs in broadening their network and business presence in the Asian region,” he said.
