GEORGE TOWN (April 10): The government is intensifying efforts to position Malaysia higher up the semiconductor value chain through the MyChipStart programme, which aims to nurture local integrated circuit (IC) design companies. The deputy minister said these initiatives place emphasis on upstream activities such as semiconductor and IC design, moving beyond Malaysia’s traditional strengths in assembly, testing and packaging. “IC design is a highly complex and capital-intensive field, involving expensive electronic design automation (EDA) tools, skilled talent and high costs to bring a chip from concept to prototype, which can reach up to US$100 million [RM398.08 million]. “This poses a major barrier for startups,” he told reporters after launching the MyChipStart programme here on Friday. Sim said Malaysia currently has only about 20 to 30 IC design companies, highlighting the need to grow the ecosystem and develop more local champions in the sector.

Source: The Edge Markets April 10, 2026 04:41 UTC