Deputy finance minister pitches one-stop tech financing hub in Penang-Kulim area to power Malaysia’s true ‘Silicon Valley’ dream

Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong’s call for a dedicated, one-stop semiconductor and deep-tech financing hub across the Penang-Kulim corridor targets a critical missing link in Malaysia’s industrial transformation. While the northern region already controls 13% of global semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP) and drives 40% of the nation’s total exports, sustaining long-term competitiveness requires shifting capital from low-margin assembly toward high-value integrated circuit (IC) design, R&D, and intellectual property creation. By establishing localized venture capital mechanisms, private equity pipelines, and deepened capital market liquidity directly within the tech ecosystem, Malaysia can bridge the valuation gap between early-stage innovation and commercial scale—elevating the Penang-Kulim corridor into a premier global tech cluster alongside Hsinchu, Brainport Eindhoven, and Silicon Valley

source : http://Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong’s call for a dedicated, one-stop semiconductor and deep-tech financing hub across the Penang-Kulim corridor targets a critical missing link in Malaysia’s industrial transformation. While the northern region already controls 13% of global semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP) and drives 40% of the nation’s total exports, sustaining long-term competitiveness requires shifting capital from low-margin assembly toward high-value integrated circuit (IC) design, R&D, and intellectual property creation. By establishing localized venture capital mechanisms, private equity pipelines, and deepened capital market liquidity directly within the tech ecosystem, Malaysia can bridge the valuation gap between early-stage innovation and commercial scale—elevating the Penang-Kulim corridor into a premier global tech cluster alongside Hsinchu, Brainport Eindhoven, and Silicon Valley