Malaysia Leveraging ARM IP To Fast Track Semiconductor Chip Design

Malaysia is speeding up semiconductor design processes through the use of ARM's intellectual property (IP) and its 50-year manufacturing expertise. Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir stated that the nation is capitalizing on its established strengths in backend manufacturing to design semiconductors with global architecture partnerships.

Acknowledging Malaysia's talent and expertise in testing, equipment, and packaging, Nasir explained that the country has partnered with ARM to gain access to IP design. ARM, a British semiconductor company, has contributed to the development of chip designs for Apple’s M Series, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, and NVIDIA’s RTX Spark chipset.

Malaysia inked a deal with ARM in early 2021, paying $250 million over 10 years in return for licenses and know-how. This collaboration aims to help local companies design their own chips, with the goal of achieving RM1.2 trillion in semiconductor exports by 2030. In addition, Akmal launched six homegrown chips with an estimated combined sales potential of RM300 million, all developed at the Malaysia Semiconductor IC Design park.

Nasir emphasized the importance of federal and state semiconductor hubs working together to create a unified national ecosystem, rather than duplicating efforts. He also addressed concerns about potential investment overlaps between federal plans and individual state projects, noting that each state brings unique value chain advantages.