Blog
Notes from the work
Essays on agentic AI, the missing middle, and how people stay free to act.
170 People Showed Up. Seven Small Companies Walked Away With an Actual Contact.
170 people at a semiconductor matchmaking day. Seven SMEs left with a contact. Petronas reserved 439 contracts.
Malaysian Palm Oil Smallholders Produce Up to 40% Less Oil Per Hectare Than Estates. The AI That Could Close That Gap Is Priced for the Estate.
Smallholders produce up to 40% less oil per hectare than estates. The AI that could close that gap is priced for the plantation, not the plot.
Proton Buys RM3.2 Billion in Local Parts a Year. Almost None of the New Technology in It Is Malaysian.
Proton is buying RM3.2 billion in local parts. The ADAS and other new tech in those contracts still arrives through Chinese joint ventures.
Malaysia's SMEs Have RM442 Billion in Financing on Tap. Only About RM203 Million of It Is Earmarked for AI.
RM442 billion is flowing to SMEs. About RM203 million is earmarked for AI. SMEs say the shortage isn’t money — it’s knowing what to do with it.
RM8.3 Billion, 99 Companies, One Coalition: The Blueprint Malaysia Already Has for What AI Could Do Next
Petronas, banks, and agencies already built the coalition. AI is the first capability shift that could let it work economy-wide, not just in oil and gas.
“AI Saved Us RM40 Million” Is Not a Number a Board Should Accept
A board can’t audit a blended AI savings figure. JPMorgan tracks 600 named use cases instead — each one someone in the room could check.
The Hidden Cost With No Line Item: What's Really Slowing Down Malaysian Factories
Two people looked at two different versions of the same schedule. That gap has a cost — it just doesn’t have a line item.
Malaysia's RM28 Billion Data-Centre Bet Comes With a RM43 Billion Bill Nobody's Celebrating
DayOne’s RM28 billion made the headlines. TNB’s RM43 billion grid bill — and Johor’s water tariffs — are the ones that land on everyone else.
Bank Negara’s AI Paper Is Still a Draft. Four Other Regulators Already Finished Theirs.
Over 70% of Malaysian banks already run AI. The rulebook is still a draft. Four other regulators have already decided what “prove it” means.
95% of AI Pilots Deliver Zero P&L Impact — But Back-Office Ones Don't. What's Different?
95% of enterprise AI pilots show no P&L effect. The money goes to sales; the returns sit in the back office.
Only 23% of Malaysian CEOs Say AI Grew Revenue — Is Even That Too High?
Ask a CEO if AI grew revenue and 23% say yes. Attach an audit trail, and the number falls to single digits.
97% of Malaysian Businesses Aren't in the AI Conversation — Here's What That Costs the Country
MSMEs are 97% of Malaysian businesses and 39.5% of GDP. The AI conversation is still about the two sectors already adopting.
Malaysia's AI Adoption Hit 38% — But 67% of It Is Just a Chatbot
Malaysia's AI adoption climbed to 38%. 67% of that is a chatbot or an off-the-shelf tool. The headline is the easy part.
Agency, Not Agents
The word “agentic” is promising something bigger than a faster macro. It’s promising agency — and that is the difference between buying a tool and redesigning how a company actually works.