Malaysia is set to host the Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur next year.
While the hosting of the expo remains a work in progress, local technology stakeholders said such an event will generate interest, spark conversations, and provide insights into what needs to be done when building digital cities.
Wise AI chief executive officer, David Lim, said Malaysian developers are travelling to China to learn about smart and digital cities.
“They (developers) often visit Shenzhen as it is well-planned. Shenzhen residents can connect to over 2,000 of their government services. The execution there is very good,” said Lim.
The Chinese city was named ‘Smart City of 2024’ at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona that ended on Nov 6.
“The developers want to do the same in Malaysia but often ask, what’s the return on investment?”
Lim added that the Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025, from Sept 17-19, 2025, will be good for industry players. It can also educate the masses about digital cities.
“Such an expo will be good exposure to help stakeholders, like developers, to improve and upgrade their cities and development.”
Lim admitted creating digital cities was no easy task but said Malaysia could embark on its digital city initiative by introducing e-Know Your Customer (e-KYC) and facial recognition.
“This is where Wise AI can help,” he added.
Wise AI is an award-winning artificial intelligence company that specialises in digital identity technologies.
“We received quite a number of enquiries locally about digital cities in 2019. That shows the interest has always been there. I say the best way to start is by creating smart and digital universities, and expanding from there.”
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced that the country will host the Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025 during his visit to the Smart City Expo World Congress 2024 in Barcelona on Nov 5. Malaysia is the first Southeast Asian nation to host the event.
He described hosting the event as a “significant step for Malaysia” as the country continues to develop its capabilities in creating digital cities.
Cybersecurity expert Murugason R. Thangaratnam, in welcoming the expo, stressed that a digital city must strive for digital inclusion and accessibility.
“This is to ensure there is equitable access to digital services and opportunities for all residents,” said Murugason, co-founder and chief executive officer of Novem CS.
“Data becomes the lifeblood, and it has to be used to improve the quality of life and environment through better management of systems.
“However, the starting point has to be structuring the data and making it seamless across all platforms to maximise both user and customer experience.”
He added that the “spine that keeps it all together” is security.
“Security has to be by design to build a resilient, sustainable, and scalable digital city.”
Digital City v Smart City
According to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, digital cities use technology to improve operations, while smart cities use technology and data to create innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for citizens. Digital cities are critical precursors to evolving into smart cities.
