Doha, 11 November 2026 – Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil warned that artificial intelligence could widen the gap between countries with access to advanced computing power and those without it. Speaking on 10 November on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha, he said the problem goes beyond internet access. The union estimates that two billion people remain offline in 2026.
For Asian businesses, the distinction matters because getting online and being able to develop or run AI systems are different things. A company may have reliable broadband but still depend on a small number of overseas providers for computing capacity. Fahmi called for international cooperation and safeguards that keep pace with the technology. His remarks did not announce a Malaysian spending programme or a new regulatory requirement.
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