24 January 2026 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), through the Center of Excellence for Microelectronics Design Collaboration (CEDEC) as the lead entity in IC design education, welcomed a courtesy visit from the newly appointed Minister of Economy, YB Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, to discuss Malaysia’s readiness in the semiconductor sector.

The session included participation from Invest Penang, which presented its achievements in intellectual property (IP) development and related programs. USM also highlighted several key initiatives in IC design, including the Intel–USM 18A PDK project, the Universiti FinFET Program, the USM–Micron Program, and the USM–SanDisk Program. In addition, franchise-based collaborations such as the USM–ViTrox Program and the USM–Oppstar IC Design Incubation initiative were also presented.

CEDEC showcased several chips that have been successfully developed, including a MEMS Digital Microfluidics (DMF) chip funded under CREST and industry grants. Discussions also covered the growing need for Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, as well as the Arm On-Demand program. CEDEC further shared its experience with the Arm Access Academia program, which has been utilized since 2019 to support education and research and development (R&D) activities.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of sustained funding to maintain access to EDA tools, which are essential for teaching, R&D, training, Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs, and post-silicon validation activities.

During the visit, the Minister delivered words of encouragement and motivation to students from CEDEC USM and the Penang Chip Design Academy (PCDA), urging them to continue pursuing careers in IC design and to contribute to the growth of Malaysia’s semiconductor industry.