Invest or perish: Technology security is the new national currency — Ahmad Ibrahim

Malay Mail

25-05-2025

MAY 25 — We often talk about GDP, FDI, and natural resources as markers of national strength. But in today's world, technology security has quietly become the new currency of power. Control over critical tech, from semiconductors to AI infrastructure, now shapes not only business competitiveness but national sovereignty and economic resilience. The signs are everywhere. The US-China tech cold war is restricting chip exports and AI investments. The pandemic laid bare our fragile global supply chains. Nations are scrambling to protect their data, digital systems, and infrastructure from cyber threats and technological over-dependence. Yet, in Malaysia, this conversation still feels like a fringe topic, when it should be at the heart of our economic strategy.
In the 20th century, nations secured their futures through control of territory, oil, and military alliances. In the 21st century, technology security has become just as critical, if not more so. From semiconductors to artificial intelligence, data infrastructure to satellite systems, technological assets now underpin not only business competitiveness but national sovereignty, economic resilience, and social stability. We are already witnessing the beginnings of a geopolitical reshaping based on technology power. The US-China tech rivalry, restrictions on chip exports, battles over 5G networks, and debates about AI governance are just the opening chapters of what will be a decades-long contest. Yet, in many middle-income nations, including Malaysia, the idea of technology security remains an emerging concept, largely confined to academic or think-tank discussions. It's time we bring this conversation into the policy mainstream.
At its core, technology security refers to a nation's ability to develop, access, control, and protect critical technologies essential to its economy, infrastructure, defence, and societal functions. It means ensuring that a country's technological infrastructure and strategic industries are not overly dependent on, vulnerable to, or controlled by external powers. This includes secure control over data infrastructure and digital systems, access to semiconductor supply chains and computing power, local capacity in artificial intelligence, biotech, cybersecurity, and renewable energy technology, protection against technological espionage and sabotage, and strategic autonomy in telecommunications and defence systems. But why the growing concern?
A nation that lacks technology security faces economic vulnerability through over-dependence on foreign tech firms. It is also exposed to cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Not to mention the loss of national sovereignty over data and digital services. The consequence includes the inability to compete in high-value industries like AI, renewable energy, or advanced manufacturing. Inadvertently, it would be left behind in global standard-setting and technology governance frameworks. For developing nations, this risk is amplified by the so-called 'digital colonisation', where a handful of global tech giants dominate data, cloud services, and digital ecosystems in markets they don't reside in.
Technology insecurity doesn't just threaten governments. It directly impacts businesses. There are supply chain risks when there is overdependence on a handful of tech providers and foreign infrastructure players. Data sovereignty issues would crop up. Loss of control over sensitive operational and consumer data. Competitive disadvantage would creep in. Inability to access or develop critical tech locally, leaving firms reliant on external sources and vulnerable to geopolitical shocks. Then there are cyber risks. Not to mention increased exposure of financial systems, logistics, and digital platforms to disruptive cyber-attacks. In short, if the nation is tech insecure, so is its business ecosystem.
Securing our technology future isn't about shutting the world out. It's about building resilience, diversifying partnerships, and future-proofing national capabilities. Here's what needs to happen. Identify and safeguard strategic tech sectors. Focus on semiconductors, AI, data infrastructure, and renewables. Invest aggressively in indigenous R&D.
Create incentives for public-private tech innovation ecosystems. Fortify cybersecurity infrastructure. Protect power grids, financial systems, and data assets. Forge smart international tech alliances. Collaborate selectively to co-develop, co-own, and co- control critical technologies. Nurture tech-ready talent. Prioritise AI, cybersecurity, data science, and advanced manufacturing skills.
If Malaysia wants to remain competitive in the coming decades, technology security must become a boardroom, cabinet, and national priority. The nations that control their data, digital infrastructure, and critical technologies will write the rules of the new economy. Those that don't will end up consumers in someone else's digital empire. It's time we decide which side of history we want to be on.
* The author is affiliated with the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies at UCSI University and is an associate fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya. He can be reached at [email protected] .
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.