Collaborations key as Gobind shares Malaysia's digital aspirations in United Kingdom

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo led a Malaysian delegation to London Tech Week earlier this week. While in the United Kingdom, Gobind and his team met various stakeholders as Malaysia gears up to host key digital events, including the Asean AI Summit 2025 and the Kuala Lumpur Smart City Expo 2025.

Touted as the UK’s biggest tech event, London Tech Week – held from June 9 to 11 – attracted over 45,000 attendees from around the world.

Here’s a round-up of Gobind’s visit so far.

On June 9, Gobind attended the opening of London Tech Week at Olympia London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered the opening speech, announcing a series of policies on artificial intelligence (AI). He also revealed the government’s £2 billion commitment to AI infrastructure expansion, targeting growth in data centres and digital skills to maintain a competitive edge in AI.

Gobind said Starmer’s announcements resonated with Malaysia, as the ministry is proactively working towards building an advanced digital Malaysia for all. Gobind also attended a dialogue featuring Starmer, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang, and the United Kingdom’s Investment Minister Poppy Gustafsson.

Nvidia is collaborating with the UK government to establish the UK Sovereign AI Industry Forum – a coalition of leading UK businesses tasked with developing and deploying AI infrastructure to boost the country’s digital economy and security.

Over lunch, Gobind met representatives from several Malaysian technology companies attending the event. Later, he joined Indonesia’s Deputy Communication and Digital Minister Nezar Patria, and Napoleon Juanillo, Assistant Secretary of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation from the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology, at the Asia Summit (main image). The three shared insights on AI transformation across Asia.

Gobind highlighted Malaysia’s digital transformation roadmap, key initiatives under the Malaysia Digital programme, and major investment opportunities.

On June 10, Gobind presented Malaysia’s digital vision at the ‘UK–Malaysia Digital Gateway Forum: Malaysia – Your Launchpad into Asean’s Digital Future’, organised by the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking to representatives from more than 80 UK-based technology companies, he urged British firms to explore partnerships with Malaysian players in AI, cybersecurity, fintech, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

He added that such forums encourage meaningful conversations, spark new ideas, and create valuable connections and partnerships – helping to strengthen Malaysia-UK ties in the long run.

On June 11, Gobind began his day meeting representatives from Boston Consulting Group X. He spoke about Malaysia’s efforts to scale AI nationwide and invited the company to the inaugural Asean AI Summit in August.

He then visited The Alan Turing Institute – the UK’s national institute for data science and AI. The institute aims to drive AI and data science research to address real-world challenges and deliver social and economic impact through world-class research, leadership development, and public engagement.

Gobind was shown examples of the institute’s work, including digital twins of the cardiovascular system for remote patient monitoring, AI applications in healthcare, and the use of AI to moderate harmful content and combat election interference.

Later in the day, he met representatives from EY London to explore opportunities in GovTech. Gobind shared an overview of Malaysia’s GovTech landscape, including its context, challenges, and priorities. The meeting also touched on best practices and lessons from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. Discussions also included central AI use cases and global approaches to digital identity.

He expressed hope that the valuable insights would support the continued advancement of digital governance in Malaysia.