PENANG — The SAMENTA SME AI Fest 2025 (Penang Edition) concluded on a high note this past Saturday, December 6, marking a pivotal moment for the Northern Region’s business community. With a “full house” attendance at the AC Hotel Penang, the event brought together hundreds of SME owners, policymakers, and tech innovators, all united by a single urgent mandate: the need to accelerate digital transformation.
The Mandate: “Accelerate or Be Left Behind”
Officiated by Penang Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow, the fest successfully bridged the gap between high-level tech concepts and the on-the-ground reality of running a business in Malaysia.
Penang Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow officiating the SAMENTA SME AI Fest 2025, emphasizing the critical need for AI adoption.
In his officiating speech, the Chief Minister delivered a powerful message. Echoing sentiments reported by China Press and Buletin Mutiara, he stressed that for Malaysia SME – AI Adoption is no longer a luxury or a futuristic concept—it is an existential necessity.
“If Penang wants to become an advanced economy, SME acceleration in AI adoption will be critical,” the Chief Minister stated.
To support this transition, the state government proposed a comprehensive “SME AI Readiness Census”. This initiative aims to gather accurate data on the challenges SMEs face, allowing for more targeted policy support and funding to bridge the digital divide.
Leadership Driving the Change
The event’s success was driven by the strong leadership of the organizing association. Kicking off the proceedings, Dr. Celvin Tan, the event’s Organizing Chairman (and SAMENTA National Vice President), took the stage to welcome the capacity crowd. He highlighted that the festival was curated specifically to bridge the knowledge gap, ensuring that every session translated complex tech trends into clear, actionable strategies for local business owners.
Setting the strategic tone for the region, Mr. Calvin Kwan, SAMENTA National Deputy President and Northern Region Chairman, emphasized the importance of this shift in his opening remarks:
“As the digital landscape evolves, it is imperative that our SMEs move beyond basic adoption. We must become enablers of digital transformation, harnessing AI not just to survive, but to lead in innovation and automation across the Northern Region.”
Reflecting on the overwhelming turnout, SAMENTA National President Datuk William Ng noted:
“We are heartened by the strong turnout of Penang SMEs at the event; and this shows that the awareness of AI is now very strong and our SMEs are eager to use AI to transform their businesses.”
In line with this educational mandate, the event also featured the official launch of the book Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence. Authored by Dr. Mohamad Sabri bin Sinal @ Zainal from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), the book serves as a practical guide for SMEs navigating this new landscape, further solidifying the link between academia and industry application.
Strategic Vision & Partnerships
The event’s success was bolstered by the strong support of its strategic partners and sponsors, YES Enterprise and YTL Communications, who played a pivotal role in bringing this high-level discourse to Penang.
A highlight of the morning was the formal MOU Signing Ceremony between SAMENTA Northern Region and YTL Communications. Witnessed by Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow, this agreement formalizes a commitment to accelerate AI and digitization efforts for SMEs across the region, ensuring that businesses have the infrastructure support needed to scale.
Attendees also gained crucial insights into the national strategic direction from En. Shamsul Izhan Bin Abdul Majid, Head of the National AI Office (NAIO). He outlined the government’s roadmap for a comprehensive AI ecosystem, reassuring SMEs that the path to digitalization is supported by a robust national framework.
The session also featured a compelling sharing by the team from YTL AI Labs, led by its CEO, Foong Chee Mun. A visionary in the global tech scene, Foong is best known as the co-founder of MoneyLion, where he became the first Malaysian fintech founder to list on the NYSE. With a 25-year career that includes developing AI behavior prediction systems for the US Department of Defense, Foong’s leadership at YTL AI Labs underscores the world-class expertise driving Malaysia’s sovereign AI capabilities.
Complementing this was Mr. Wing K Lee, CEO of YTL Communications, who showcased the robust infrastructure powering these ambitions, demonstrating that the hardware and connectivity required for high-level AI adoption are already being laid out for Malaysian businesses.
Moving Beyond Theory: Practical AI for Productivity
While the policy discussions set the stage, the core value for attendees lay in the practical application. The event featured a series of expert panels designed to show SMEs exactly how to implement these tools.
A key highlight was the panel discussion featuring Henry Tye (CEO, Bigdomain), Mr. Wong Kee Wei (Founder & CEO, Safetyware Group), and Mr. Redzuan Abdul Rahim (Director of SME Digitalization, MDEC). This combination of a manufacturing veteran, a national digital enabler, and a tech strategist underscored a vital point: AI is not just for tech companies; it is equally critical for manufacturing, safety, and operational excellence.
During his session, Henry addressed a critical pain point felt by many in the room: “AI Fatigue”. He noted that business owners are often paralyzed not by a lack of interest, but by the sheer volume of new tools, models, and platforms launching daily. From the confusion of choosing between competing LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, to the “subscription fatigue” of managing dozens of disconnected apps for every minor task, this overwhelm is stalling real progress.
To cut through this noise, Henry pivoted to practical, proven strategies. He demonstrated the real-world power of AI SEO, revealing a tracked instance where ChatGPT actively recommended the SAMENTA AI Fest to users—proving that visibility in AI models is now a critical traffic driver.
He emphasized that his team successfully applied these AI-driven strategies to power the organization and promotion of the SAMENTA AI FEST 2025 for both the Kuala Lumpur and Penang editions, showcasing the tangible impact of AI on event success.
The takeaway was clear: AI isn’t just about “tech”—it’s about Productivity. By integrating these tools, businesses can handle more customers, produce higher output, and deliver greater value without a proportional increase in costs.
A Vote of Confidence for “Ilmu” – Malaysia’s AI Model
One of the most passionate moments of the session came when the discussion turned to “Ilmu”, Malaysia’s first Sovereign Large Language Model (LLM) developed by YTL AI Labs.
Henry Tye expressed that he was both “thankful and amazed” by the capabilities of this home-grown model.
“We should be incredibly proud. The benchmark performance of Ilmu is astounding, standing toe-to-toe with global giants like GPT-4o. But where it truly shines is in its understanding of our local context,” Henry shared.
Malaysia’s ‘Ilmu’ AI Model demonstrates superior accuracy in Bahasa Malaysia, outperforming global competitors in local context benchmarks.
Unlike generic global models, Ilmu offers superior accuracy and nuance in Bahasa Malaysia, understanding local dialects and cultural contexts that foreign models often miss. This “Data Sovereignty” is crucial for Malaysian businesses that want to serve their local customer base effectively while keeping their data secure within national borders.
The call to action was loud and clear: Malaysian tech companies must support Malaysian tech. There is a growing need for more local integrations with Ilmu, and for Asian businesses to prioritize this model to ensure the ecosystem thrives.
Bridging the Gap for SMEs
The success of the SAMENTA SME AI Fest 2025 proves that the hunger for innovation is there. However, the journey from interest to implementation requires guidance.
This is where industry players play a vital role. As a member of the organizing committee and a long-time advocate for the AI Initiative, Bigdomain is committed to being that bridge.
Whether it is navigating the new capabilities of the Ilmu AI Model, implementing AI SEO strategies to rank on the new search engines, or mastering Xiaohongshu (XHS) marketing, the tools are ready. It is now up to Malaysian SMEs to take the leap.
About Bigdomain: Led by Henry Tye, a tech veteran with over 30 years of experience in the industry, Bigdomain is a premier digital strategy firm holding MD Status and recognized as an MDEC Awarded Top 20 TSP. We specialize in AI SEO, Cloud, and Cyber Security, maximizing search visibility across major global and regional platforms, including Google and Xiaohongshu (小红书). By combining deep technical expertise with next-generation AI strategies, Bigdomain empowers businesses to dominate search results and achieve scalable growth in the digital era.
Understand the Urgency Behind Malaysia’s SME AI Push
From state leadership to national strategy, these news explain why AI adoption is no longer optional for SMEs and how businesses must respond to remain competitive.
👉 China Press: https://penang.chinapress.com.my/?p=1948744👉 Buletin Mutiara: https://www.buletinmutiara.com/smes-told-to-accelerate-ai-adoption-to-stay-competitive/
