LEADING digital solutions provider, HashTaqs, today officially declared open the Advanced Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Asia 2026 convention, here at the Iconic Marjorie Hotel in Bayan Lepas today.
The two-day programme, aimed at enhancing industry transformation at a wider scale, brings together advanced manufacturing industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers to explore the transformative potential of industry transformation in the advanced manufacturing sector, namely semiconductor, electronics, medical technology, and green tech industries.
HashTaqs managing director and AIM Asia Week chairperson Renee Tan, in her opening remarks, emphasised that the talk revolving around artificial intelligence (AI) has escalated beyond whether it works or not to how we can leverage it to make products more successful and sustainable.
“The conversation as to whether AI works or not is no longer relevant today because it has a bigger role to play across the many high-value industries in Penang.
“Every AI deployment, automation roadmap, decarbonisation target eventually leads to one question – do we have the talent to design, run, and improve it?
“And that is why our theme for this year is ‘Sustainable Future Manufacturing Transformation: Human Capital, AI and Innovation’.
“Technology sets the pace, sustainability sets the standards, but human capital decides whether we have arrived or not, and a single stakeholder cannot write the next chapter,” Tan said earlier during the programme launch.
She further elaborated the importance of building and sustaining a prolonged ecosystem that will play a vital role in keeping the industry transformation goal intact.
For instance, she stated that a manufacturer cannot build a talent pipeline alone, a government agency cannot commercialise technology alone, an investor cannot lock high-value deals alone, and a university cannot single-handedly design its curriculum without knowing the needs of the industry in the next five years.
“The roles are intertwined, and ultimately, we all want Asean to be recognised as a hub of advanced innovation and manufacturing, not a collection of competing locations, but an integrated ecosystem that the world chooses to build with.
“And that was the very reason why AIM Asia was primarily created, where we convened manufacturers, innovators, government, and investors across Asia.
“This time, we are hosting educational institutions to join as key members of this community because they create the talent that powers this industry. If human capital is the theme, the people who shape the capital must be in this room,” she added.
The two-day conference will feature industry experts from several well-known multinational companies, including Intel Corporation, Dell Technologies, B Braun, and AMD, speaking about current technological developments by the respective companies they work for.
INTI International College Penang, representing the education sector, have assigned a couple of key figures to participate in the conference.
Meanwhile, state Trade and National Unity Committee chairman Goh Chook Aik, who officiated the event, delivered a strong opening in his speech, stating that AI should not necessarily only be used to double up automation, but should be utilised to enhance human capability and productivity.
“The future is not human vs AI, but human plus AI. That is why talent development is becoming increasingly important today.
“The GBS Industry Academy 2.0 – GenAI Talent Ready, launched in 2025, is another example of how we can prepare our workforce for an AI-driven economy, with training and upskilling in areas including IC design, embedded software, global business services and robotic automation,” Goh said in his speech.
Relatively, he also highlighted the key role sustainability plays in the area of industry transformation.
“Sustainability is not merely about reducing carbon emissions, but also about continuously developing our people, encouraging innovation, and ensuring the industries remain competitive and resilient,” he further added.
Among others present earlier were Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Hari Narayanan, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Datuk Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan, and other key industry players.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Siew Chia En