MDX 2023 aims to showcase Malaysia's capabilities as a leading ASEAN digital nation

• A testament to nation’s readiness to explore, elevate digital ecosystems
• Supported by auxiliary events such as Malaysia Digital Content Festival

[Article updated with comments from MDEC CEO, Mahadhir Aziz and snapshot of key events during the 6-weeks MDX.]

Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) through Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), today launched the Malaysia Digital Expo (MDX) 2023 with the theme “Let’s do business. Invest in Malaysia”.

The launch was officiated by Minister of Communications and Digital, Fahmi Fadzil who stressed that the world is now in a digital-first era where digital or digitally-transformed enterprises account for more than half of the global economy.

“It's crucial to recognise that the digital economy is the driving force behind new value creation, projected to contribute 70% of all new value in the coming decade.”

Malaysia, having started its foray into the digital economy back in 1996 with the launch of its Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project has reaped the rewards as an early mover with digital based activity now accounting for nearly a quarter of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

MDEC CEO, Mahadhir Aziz, in his remarks likened the introduction of the MSC vision as akin to Malaysia becoming a startup nation with the economic impact of the vision, 27 years later, as testament to the country’s ability to transform vision into tangible value.

It is a “remarkable achievement”, Fahmi said, with more to come as witnessed by the strong digital oriented FDI (foreign direct investment) into Malaysia in the first eight months of the year where over RM37.4 billion in investment commitments across various technology sectors with the creation of roughly 15,895 high-value jobs.

Not resting on laurels, Fahmi stressed the need to ensure investments coming into Malaysia and of those already here, continue expanding.

This is where MDX 2023 comes into the picture, serving as a platform to showcase Malaysia's capabilities and potential. “It's not just an expo. It's a testament to our nation's readiness to explore new horizons, elevate our digital ecosystem, and open doors for businesses to expand into the ASEAN region and beyond,” emphasised Fahmi.

With its core message of "Let's do business. Invest in Malaysia." MDX a key initiative under Malaysia Digital (MD) which aims to position Malaysia as a leading digital nation in the ASEAN region.

Mahadhir described the introduction of MD in July 2022 as an effort to strengthen Malaysia’s digital drive and keep up with the times and address current market and technology demands.

According to him, “it was a move that was both needed and necessary as we stand at a juncture of opportunities in a rapidly evolving economic landscape.”  

Aiming to capture such opportunities, MDEC touts MDX as a six-week long nationwide celebration showcasing the latest innovations and technologies from local and global companies while demonstrating Malaysia’s readiness to explore and grow the digital ecosystem to the next level. It will conclude on 8 Nov.

Among this year’s line-up of speakers are Zack Kass, Head of GTM at OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, Ricky Kapur (Head of APEC of Zoom), Melvin Ooi (CEO of YTL-Sea Digital Bank), Eric Chang (Co-founder & Group CEO of Carsome), Dr. Raymond Choy (Co-Founder & CEO of Doc2U) and Hiroyuki Kato (Director of Japan Peppol Authority, Government of Japan).

MDX will feature a series of events including conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and networking sessions leading up to the prestigious MDX Grand Finale and exclusive industry awards dinner. It is expected to attract over 150,000 participants from around the world, including investors, entrepreneurs, technology startups, trade associations, policy makers and digital professionals.

MDX 2023 is supported by a wide array of auxiliary events such as Malaysia Digital Content Festival (MYDCF) 2023, Malaysia-Japan Digital Exchange, World Congress IT on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) 2023, Malaysia Cloud and Datacenter Convention 2023, #mydigitalmaker Fair 2023 Finale, Smart Melaka International Conference and Expo (SMIX) 2023, UK Malaysia Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference 2023 and 7^th Selangor International Business Summit 2023.

Innoveam Sdn Bhd is Diamond Sponsor, while Evenesis is the official event platform partner for the MDX 2023 Grand Finale.

The following is a snapshot of some of the events that will be held throughout MDX 2023:

• Malaysia Digital Content Festival, or MYDCF. Taking place from 27 Sep to 1 Oct 2023, MYDCF will feature the crème de la crème of the digital creative industry.
• The 7th edition of the #Mydigitalmaker Fair, taking place from 6-8 Oct. Aimed at providing school children with the exposure and skills to adapt and thrive in an increasingly digital world, the #Mydigitalmaker Movement targets to transform Malaysia from being a digital consumer to producer.
• This is one of the central tenets of the trifecta of Malaysia Digital, the supply-demand-enabler, to continue meeting the demand by ensuring a steady stream of talents, or supply, in order to enable its growth. This initiative, which began in 2016, has so far benefitted about 2.5 million students.
• At the same time, MDX 2023 will then head to Sarawak from 4-6 Oct as part of the World Congress on Innovation and Technology, or WCIT. Often referred to as the “Olympics of the World’s Information Technology Industry”, Malaysia once again plays host to this global event.
• On 5 Oct, the Malaysia Cloud and Datacentre Convention will take place in Kuala Lumpur.
• The excitement continues on 10 Oct over in Johor with the Innovation, Digitalisation and Entrepreneurs (IDEC) 2023. In collaboration with MY ISKANDAR, this event aims to empower and modernise MSMEs in Johor.
• From Johor, MDX 2023 hops to Melaka with the Smart Melaka International Conference and Expo (SMIX) to explore the possibilities of smart cities, connecting government agencies, industry players, tech companies and communities to form effective partnerships in moving forward.
• 17 to 18 Oct will see KL holding the UK-Malaysia Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference. The UK has been a long-standing trade partner and coupled with a fast-growing segment that is AI.
• h. From 19 to 22 Oct, the 7th Selangor International Business Summit will take place. As business opportunities continue to grow and flourish in Selangor, this is your opportunity to explore the possibilities. The staff at Invest Selangor would definitely be on hand to facilitate.
• On 24 and 25 Oct, Connexion@Nexus Bangsar South will play host to twin events - Smart Cities Asia 2023 and NextBigTech Asia 2023.
• From smart cities to IoT, big data and its related domains, this MDX 2023 auxiliary event will definitely spark conversation and innovation.