PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will continue to strengthen its semiconductor ecosystem this year through supply chain integration, local capability development and high-value partnerships, with platforms such as Semicon Southeast Asia 2026 (Semicon SEA 2026) expected to play a catalytic role.
Semicon SEA 2026 is scheduled to be held from May 5 to 7 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur, in partnership with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida).
Mida CEO Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid said the RM28.5 billion secured by the electrical and electronics sector in 2025 is proof that global confidence in Malaysia has not wavered.
He said that under the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, Malaysia is not simply maintaining its position in the global semiconductor supply chain but is deliberately reshaping it.
“We continue to build a robust ecosystem to match that confidence, through supply chain integration, local capability development, and the kind of high-value partnerships that platforms like Semicon Southeast Asia are uniquely placed to catalyse.
“Mida’s role here is not as a bystander. We are active builders of this industry’s next chapter in Malaysia, and we are here to build it together,” he said in a statement today.
According to the statement, Semicon SEA 2026 comes at a time when Malaysia is moving beyond its established strengths in assembly and test into higher-value activities, including design, advanced packaging and innovation-led manufacturing.
Meanwhile, SEMI president and CEO Ajit Manocha said the global semiconductor industry is expected to reach US$1 trillion in annual sales in 2026, a historic milestone fuelled by an intensifying artificial intelligence infrastructure boom.
“Market analysts note that Southeast Asia has emerged as a significant driver of global semiconductor growth, having outperformed the broader industry over the past few years, supported by sustained expansion in manufacturing capacity, assembly, testing and packaging, as well as its increasing integration into global semiconductor supply chains,” he said.
Themed ‘Transform Tomorrow’, Semicon SEA 2026, the region’s premier platform for the global semiconductor and electronics manufacturing supply chain, will focus on accelerating next-generation technologies while addressing current structural challenges.