Malaysia has launched the Transitioning Industrial Cluster (TIC) Sarawak, making the state the country’s first participant in the World Economic Forum’s Transitioning Industrial Clusters Initiative.
Announced during the Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference & Exhibition 2026 in Kuching, the initiative joins a global network of 39 industrial clusters and is positioned as a key platform to accelerate clean energy adoption, digital transformation and low-carbon industrial development.
The programme is led by the Malaysia Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, hosted by MyDIGITAL Corporation, in collaboration with Sarawak’s Ministry of Energy and Environmental Sustainability and supported by the World Economic Forum.
Anchored in the Bintulu–Samalaju industrial corridor, TIC Sarawak currently has 25 participating organisations and four pilot projects identified. By 2040, it is projected to contribute about RM12 billion annually to Malaysia’s gross domestic product and create around 19,000 jobs.
Malaysia’s Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo said the launch represents an important step towards building a digitally driven, AI-ready and sustainable economy.
Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the initiative supports the objectives of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and will strengthen Malaysia’s ability to attract high-quality green investments while creating skilled jobs and enhancing domestic industrial linkages.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the cluster would help transform Bintulu and Samalaju into a coordinated low-carbon industrial ecosystem and reinforce Sarawak’s role as a regional hub for clean energy, green petrochemicals and hydrogen-based industries.
World Economic Forum Managing Director Neo Gim Huay described TIC Sarawak as an example of how governments, industry and finance can work together to accelerate industrial transition and support inclusive economic growth.
The launch is also intended to serve as a reference model for future TIC expansion to other Malaysian industrial regions, including Johor, Selangor and Penang, while contributing to broader industrial transformation efforts across ASEAN.
