Malaysia has developed its first domestic edge AI processor.
Malaysian chip design company SkyeChip announced its MARS1000 processor at an industry event on Monday, Bloomberg reported. While an edge processor isn’t as powerful as an advanced Nvidia chip, it still represents a technological milestone for Malaysia, which is looking to play a bigger role in the global AI race.
Malaysia already has a foothold in the chip manufacturing sector and has recently increased its efforts and investment around AI. The country announced the creation of the Malaysian National AI Office in late 2024, an agency that plans to focus on seven areas, including the acceleration of AI adoption, AI adoption regulatory frameworks, and AI ethics.
It was rumored in early July that the Trump administration was considering restricting the sale of U.S. AI chips to Malaysia, and Thailand, in an attempt to prevent smuggling of these chips to China.
While those rumors have yet to come to fruition, Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry announced that it was going to require trade permits for U.S. AI chips on July 14. This rule means individuals and companies are required to notify the Malaysian government at least 30 days in advance if they plan to export or transship U.S.-made AI chips.