Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital and Microsoft have launched Microsoft Elevate, a national artificial intelligence (AI) capacity-building initiative to strengthen the country’s AI talent pipeline as it seeks to become a regional AI hub.
The program, aligned with Malaysia’s AI Nation 2030 ambitions, expands the country’s AI skilling agenda to educators, micro, small, and medium enterprises, retired servicemen and women, learning institutions, and members of the civil service, Microsoft said.
The initiative is being delivered with the National AI Office, Sekretariat Majlis TVET Negara, Biji-biji Initiative and Mereka.
It will follow a phased roadmap through 2030, moving from basic AI skilling and workforce activation to deeper sector adoption and long-term institutional support.
Microsoft said the pilot phase, rolled out in January, has reached 80,000 learners.
The program builds on Microsoft’s earlier AIForMYFuture initiative, which trained 800,000 Malaysians in AI skills, and Bersama Malaysia, which reached 1.53 million Malaysians with cloud, AI, and cybersecurity training.
“As Malaysia accelerates its ambition to become a regional AI hub, building digital capabilities that reach every segment of our society is essential,” Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said. “Achieving meaningful, whole-of-nation progress will require strong collaboration between the public and private sectors.”
The launch comes as governments across Southeast Asia are seeking to build domestic AI capabilities while attracting investment from global technology companies.
For Malaysia, workforce readiness is increasingly seen as a key part of digital transformation, particularly for SMEs, public-sector institutions and education providers.
The initiative could also support Malaysia’s fintech and digital finance ecosystem, where AI is being used in fraud detection, customer service, credit assessment, compliance, risk management, and operational automation.
For smaller businesses, broader AI literacy may help accelerate the adoption of digital tools, improve productivity, and support participation in the formal digital economy.
Rashvin Pal Singh, group chief executive officer of Biji-biji Initiative and Mereka, said Microsoft Elevate would help bring AI into classrooms, communities and workplaces in practical ways.
“For AI to truly create impact, it has to reach classrooms, educators, and communities in practical and accessible ways,” he said.
Dr. Jasmine Begum, general manager for legal and government affairs at Microsoft ASEAN, said AI can deliver value only when people understand how to use it meaningfully and responsibly in everyday work and decision-making.
The programme is not a fintech initiative in the strict sense, but it is relevant to the broader financial innovation ecosystem.
AI adoption in digital banking, SME finance, embedded finance and regtech depends not only on infrastructure, but also on a workforce able to deploy these tools responsibly.
Malaysia’s focus on MSMEs and civil servants suggests the government is trying to widen AI readiness beyond large companies and technology firms.