Economy minister Akmal Nasrullah Nasir said Great Asic Technology Sdn Bhd, SkyeChip Bhd, and Oppstar Technology Sdn Bhd were granted access under a strategic collaboration between the government and Arm Limited to strengthen integrated circuit (IC) design capabilities and accelerate Malaysia’s transition towards a high-value semiconductor industry.

Formal offer letters were presented to the companies for access to the British firm’s Neoverse Compute Subsystems (CSS) and Arm Flexible Access (AFA) during a ceremony here officiated by Akmal.

AFA provides companies with early, lower-cost access to Arm’s chip designs, allowing them to experiment, develop, and test products without paying full licensing fees upfront, while CSS offers pre-built chip components that help speed up processor design without starting from scratch.

GreatAsic was given access to both AFA and CSS, while SkyeChip and Oppstar received access to AFA.

Akmal said Malaysia, which was known for its chip assembly, testing, and packaging activities, must move further up the value chain in the semiconductor industry.

“We must move from simply manufacturing to designing, developing IP, and creating our own technology,” he said.

“This includes the production of commercialisable products, increased IP registrations in Malaysia, high-skilled job opportunities and greater involvement of local talent in high-value chip design work.”

He added that the initiative’s success would be measured by implementation and tangible outcomes.

Akmal said the Malaysia-Arm collaboration comprises three main pillars: training 10,000 IC design talents, providing selected Malaysian companies with access to Arm’s computing technology and portfolio, and developing locally designed semiconductor products.

The initiative aligns with the 13th Malaysia Plan, the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, and the National Semiconductor Strategy, which emphasise high value-added industry development.