SEPTEMBER 2025
Sarawak Premier Unveils Silicon Longhouse Vision At London Tech Confab, Positioning State As A Global Semiconductor Hub
LONDON, 24th September 2025 – In a keynote address at the Microelectronics UK 2025 summit today, the Premier of Sarawak, The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, laid out an ambitious blueprint to accelerate global investment in the state’s semiconductor and advanced technology sector.
Titled “Building the Integrated Silicon Longhouse: Sarawak’s Blueprint to Accelerate Global Investment & Industry Impact,” the speech framed Sarawak’s strategy around a powerful cultural metaphor: the traditional indigenous longhouse, symbolising community, inclusivity, and shared progress.
“Sarawak now envisions an ‘integrated silicon longhouse’ — a unified ecosystem where government, industry, academia, and global partners come together under one roof,” the Premier declared.
Speaking at the Microelectronics UK 2025 Conference here, he emphasised that this is a practical blueprint for positioning Sarawak as a united, innovative, and collaborative player on the global stage.
Premier Abang Zohari highlighted Sarawak’s established track record, pointing to the Samajaya Free Industrial Zone as a testament to its successful high-tech journey.
Home to multinational corporations like X-FAB and Melexis, the zone employs over 15,000 locals and generated RM 8.2 billion (£1.5 billion) in exports.
He cited recent significant investments as evidence of growing global confidence, including:
· The official opening of X-FAB’s RM 3-billion (£500 million) expansion in Kuching, which will increase its monthly wafer production capacity from 30,000 to 40,000, with plans to reach 50,000.
· The establishment of Melexis’s largest global wafer testing site in Kuching in 2024.
· The groundbreaking of OCI-Tokuyama’s new 8,000-tonne high-purity polysilicon plant in Bintulu—a project located within Malaysia’s first World Economic Forum-recognised Net Zero Cluster.
The Premier pointed out that a cornerstone of Sarawak’s strategy had been its unflinching commitment to clean, reliable, and cost-competitive renewable energy.
He said Sarawak was targetting to reach 10,000 megawatts of capacity by 2030 and 15,000 megawatts by 2035, sourced predominantly from hydropower, solar, and biomass.
“We are able to provide a low-carbon, cost-competitive environment for industries seeking sustainable manufacturing solutions,” he stated, positioning this as a critical advantage for companies aiming to decarbonise their supply chains.
He stressed that the effort was being guided by the state’s Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), which ensured that industrial growth was aligned with principles of resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability.
The Premier argued that Sarawak’s strategy was to perfectly aligned with irreversible global megatrends such as electrification, digitalisation, and supply chain diversification.
“When the world moves forward, it moves on semiconductors,” he stated, noting the critical role of chips in electric vehicles, 5G connectivity, and renewable energy systems.
“Sarawak is moving with it — not just keeping pace, but helping to set the direction,” he further stated.
In his concluding remarks, Premier Abang Zohari reinforced the state government’s full commitment, supported by consistent policies, incentives, and developed infrastructure, to make Sarawak a leading global contender in the semiconductor sector.
The “Silicon Longhouse” is now officially open for business, inviting the world to collaborate under its roof,” he said.
Earlier, in a separate event the Premier witnessed the exchanges of MOU documents between Sarawak Microelectronics Design (SMD) Sdn. Bhd. and its industry partners:
1. For GaN HEMT Development - between SMD Semiconductor, Cambridge Microelectronics, XFab Dresden Foundry, and CSA Catapult.
2. For Keteq.Ai power converter - between SMD Semiconductor, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), Weeteq and SCA Catapult, to develop the Keteq.Ai grid-forming power converter.
The Keteq.Ai innovation addresses grid stability challenges across datacenters, industries, transport, and residential areas, offering synthetic enertia, cost effective integration and a pathway to net zero.
SEB, Sarawak’s leading electricity utility, will validate real-world applications through testing and deployment, while Weeteq provides expertise in AI-driven optimisation and CSA Catapult supports development and commercialisation.
Earlier SMD Chairman, Dato Sri Dr Wan Lizozman Haji Wan Omar, who is also State Financial Secretary also spoke.
Among those present were Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, the Federal Minister of Works, Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, State Secretary, Datuk Amar Mohammad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Deputy Minister of Education and Innovation, Dr. Annuar Rapa’ee, Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunication, Dato Ibrahim Baki and Chief Political Secretary to the Premier, Dato Fazzruddin Abdul Rahman.