Google and the Malaysian government today announced a strategic partnership aimed at generating equitable growth possibilities in the rapidly expanding digital economy for a greater number of Malaysians and domestic businesses. By working together, the two organisations can support companies of all sizes in increasing their digital competitiveness through skill-building initiatives, infrastructure investments in the digital realm, ethical AI innovation, and cloud-first practices.

These programs expand on the twelve years of Google‘s involvement in Malaysia. The company’s activities and products helped sustain over 47,900 jobs in 2022 alone. They also directly and indirectly benefited local businesses with a projected US$2.8 billion in economic benefits.

“Malaysia’s MADANI Economy Framework intends to enlarge the size of our economic pie, as well as ensure that all stakeholders—particularly rakyat and small businesses—will enjoy the consequent socio-economic benefits,” stated Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In keeping with the MADANI Economy Framework and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), Google’s most recent pledge will undoubtedly increase the country’s digital competitiveness by fostering local innovation and talent development in the field of artificial intelligence.

Google’s President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat stated: “Google’s local mission of advancing Malaysia is aligned with the partnership we are announcing today with the Government of Malaysia.” in addition to the government’s objective of developing an ecosystem that fosters innovation and offers more fulfilling and equitable work opportunities. We want to help Malaysian organisations use AI to solve real-world problems using Google Cloud technology to quickly execute solutions for the public good and economic growth in order to achieve these common aims. This partnership recognizes the significance of free access to digital skilling programs to enable all Malaysians to take part in a thriving and inclusive digital economy as the nation moves toward digitalization and AI adoption across industries. We can’t wait to investigate the possibilities that this alliance will present for Malaysia.

Google Cloud, CloudMile, and Trainocate are offering five digital learning courses for free in an effort to give Malaysians of all backgrounds more access to digital training possibilities. The learning routes, which are made available under the Go Cloud program, which seeks to upskill 300,000 Malaysians by 2026, comprise online courses that teach people how to better use cloud-based productivity tools, generative AI (gen AI), and data analytics. After finishing all five learning tracks, students will receive digital skill badges they may display on their resumes and a free 30-day extension to access additional learning routes.