What Penang is doing to reclaim its title as the Silicon Valley of the East

PENANG: The Malaysian state of Penang, once known as the Silicon Valley of the East, is seeking to reclaim its title.

In line with the national semiconductor strategy, Penang wants to tap into the front end chip manufacturing supply chain – which involves wafer fabrication, advanced testing and packaging and integrated circuit design – to contribute to the country’s target to attract US$115 billion worth of investments by 2030.

Malaysia, currently the sixth-largest semiconductor exporter, has been focusing largely on backend activities. The country commands 13 per cent of the global assembly, testing and packaging market.

To support the industry to move up the value chain, over US$5.6 billion has been earmarked by the government under the national semiconductor strategy unveiled in May last year. 

Penang, located along the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is home to over 350 multinational corporations (MNCs). It has already attracted billions in investment from tech giants like Intel, Infineon, Lam Research and Texas Instrument.