KUCHING: Sarawak is positioning itself as a regional hub for intelligent data, with Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg describing data as the “oil of the future”.
He said the next economic revolution would be driven by data and how it was retrieved, processed and utilised.
“Data is the oil of the future,” he said at the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SCCI) 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Friday night (Nov. 13).
Abang Johari said Sarawak was taking a selective approach towards data centre investments, stressing that such facilities must generate employment rather than merely serve as storage facilities.
“To me, a data centre, it’s just a warehouse, it’s just storing data. But this data must create jobs. Thus, we are very selective in participating in this data centre,” he said.
He also predicted that conventional data centres could become obsolete within seven years due to advances in artificial intelligence and technologies enabling real-time data flows.
Referring to international physicist Michio Kaku, Abang Johari said the next economic revolution would be driven by data, which he described as the “oil of the future”, highlighting its growing importance in shaping global economic development.
He disclosed that SoftBank and Grab had studied Sarawak’s economy, geographical location and strengths before deciding to invest in the state.
He said the initial investment was USD1.85 billion, with the collective investment potentially reaching around USD50 billion.
The investments would support the development of intelligent data, with Sarawak aspiring to become a hub for Asia and, by extension, global development.
“That’s why SoftBank has chosen Sarawak,” he said, adding that the state’s location, economic strengths and education system had attracted the investors.
He stressed that Sarawak must move beyond being a consumer of technology by developing its own innovations and products, with artificial intelligence (AI) serving as an enabler.
“We have to adopt AI as an enabler, but for the technology and for the product, we have to create ourselves. We have to innovate ourselves in order to produce whatever product that you want to produce, and it has to be a green product through a green process,” he said.
