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IIT Madras Global, Johor Corporation explore setting up a Centre for Applied AI in Malaysia
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Collaboration to position Johor as a regional hub for responsible AI innovation, strengthen India–Malaysia technology cooperation and advance applied AI research and capability building
CHENNAI, 19th February 2026: IIT Madras Global Research Foundation (IITM Global) and Johor Corporation (JCorp), the investment and development arm of the State of Johor, Malaysia, are exploring the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CoE-AAI) in Johor, Malaysia.
The proposed collaboration, for which a MoU was signed recently, aims to position Johor as a regional hub for responsible and industry-driven AI innovation, supporting Malaysia’s digital economy ambitions and strengthening cross-border innovation ties between Southeast Asia and India.
The centre is envisioned as a platform to translate advanced artificial intelligence capabilities into practical industry applications while promoting responsible innovation, talent development and long-term value creation.
The development follows the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia earlier this month, which led to discussions on broader cooperation and knowledge transfer in the area of digital technologies. The MoU is an outcome of the pre-AI Summit held in Kuala Lumpur under the aegis of the High Commission of India in Malaysia.
Elaborating on the importance of this project to the ties between the two Nations, the High Commissioner of India to Malaysia H.E. Mr. B.N. Reddy said, “The signing of this MoU is a testament to growing collaboration between India and Malaysia in digital technologies space, in particular in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This MoU is in line with the ongoing deliberations between India and Malaysia under the Malaysia India Digital Council (MIDC), which was operationalized last year (2025) as a Government-to-Government (G-2-G) mechanism with participation of industry on both the sides, to increase cooperation under four distinct pillars i.e. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Cyber Security, Digital Talent, and AI. The High Commission welcomes the signing of the MoU to explore the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CoE-AAI) in Johor by IIT Madras Global Research Foundation in partnership with Johor Corporation (JCorp).”
Highlighting the potential impact of this AI Centre, Mr. Ahmad Yusri Mohamed, Chief Digital Officer of Johor Corporation, Malaysia, said, “As Johor’s state economic development corporation, our role is to catalyze new growth sectors and build globally competitive ecosystems. This collaboration strengthens our ambition to position Johor as a regional leader in responsible and applied AI.”
Mr. Najmie Noordin, Chief Talent Officer of Johor Corporation, Malaysia, added, “The proposed Centre of Excellence will accelerate talent development, industry collaboration, and innovation-led growth. It reflects our commitment to building deep-tech capabilities and future-ready talent for sustainable economic progress.”
IITM Global has been conceived as a strategic, sustainable and scalable platform to take IIT Madras’ academic, research and innovation strengths to the global stage.
Under the agreement, IITM Global and Johor Corporation will jointly explore the conceptualisation of a Johor-based Centre of Excellence focused on responsible AI, including fairness, transparency, safety, explainability and AI governance. The collaboration will also examine opportunities for applied research initiatives in AI and emerging deep technologies, executive education and professional capability-building programmes, faculty and expert exchanges, and startup engagement through technology transfer and commercialisation. In addition, both partners will work towards developing industry testbeds and pilot use cases in Johor to accelerate the adoption of advanced AI solutions.
Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), said, “This partnership reflects the growing depth of cross-border academic and innovation ties. By combining IIT Madras’ research strengths with Johor’s industry ecosystem, we are creating a platform for applied AI collaboration that connects talent, research, and real-world deployment. It is a model for purposeful global engagement built on shared strategic priorities.”
Mr. Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, CEO, IITM Global, added, “This MoU reflects our continued commitment to strengthening global innovation partnerships, with Malaysia emerging as a key strategic partner in our global engagement roadmap. The collaboration with Johor Corporation aligns closely with Malaysia’s digital transformation strategy, particularly in advancing applied and responsible Artificial Intelligence. By working together to conceptualise a Centre of Excellence for Applied AI in Johor, we aim to bridge research, industry, and policy by translating cutting-edge AI capabilities into real-world deployment, talent development, and innovation-led economic growth across the region.”
IITM Global will contribute global expertise and technical guidance in applied artificial intelligence and deep-tech innovation. At the same time, Johor Corporation will serve as the strategic anchor in Johor by facilitating ecosystem access, strengthening industry linkages and enabling integration with key state development initiatives.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen international cooperation in advanced technologies, enable knowledge exchange and innovation-led growth, and support industry adoption of emerging digital solutions across sectors, further reinforcing technology partnerships between India and Malaysia.
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ABOUT JOHOR CORPORATION
Johor Corporation (JCorp) is the principal investment and development institution of the State of Johor, Malaysia. Established in 1968, JCorp drives economic growth through strategic investments, ecosystem development, and industry partnerships. Johor Corporation is a Value-Driven Organization with total assets in excess of RM25 billion as at end FY2024. JCorp’s flagship companies; Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad, KPJ Healthcare Berhad, QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd and JLand Group Sdn Bhd, spearhead the Group’s interests across four core sectors namely Agribusiness, Wellness & Healthcare, Food & Restaurant and Real Estate & Infrastructure.
Its mission and purpose of creation – ‘Membina & Membela’ or Creating Value, Enabling Sustainable Communities, has driven remarkable growth and community development across Johor and Malaysia.
To learn more about JCorp, please visit jcorp.com.my or follow @johorcorporationofficial on social media.
ABOUT IITM GLOBAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
IITM Global has been conceived as a strategic, scalable and sustainable full-stack global expansion of IIT Madras that enables innovators, researchers, startups and industry partners to access international markets, capital and collaborative research opportunities. By incorporating local context into international initiatives, IITM Global drives innovation, entrepreneurship and impactful collaboration with industry and R&D partners. Leveraging IIT Madras’ world-class faculty, advanced infrastructure and strong industry partnerships, IITM Global is dedicated to driving innovation and societal impact.
ABOUT IIT MADRAS
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 18 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 650 faculty and 10,000 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
Recognized as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) in 2019, IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the Seven consecutive year in India Ranking 2025 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for 10 consecutive years – from 2016 to 2025.
In 2023, IIT Madras became the first IIT to establish an international Campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania called ‘IIT Madras Zanzibar.
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