KUCHING, 9 SEPTEMBER 2026 — Sarawak will put its next generation of technology capabilities on display at the ninth International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2026, jointly organised by the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), and Sarawak Information Systems (SAINS), as Sarawak moves to turn investments in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, deep technology and the emerging space economy into commercial opportunities and real-world applications.

Returning to the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) from 5 to 6 October 2026, IDECS26 will be held under the theme “Scaling Innovation Ecosystems for a Borderless Economy: Earth, Orbit and Beyond”, bringing together industry, investors, researchers and policymakers around the technologies expected to shape Sarawak’s next phase of economic development.

Setting the direction for this year’s conference, Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak and Patron of IDECS26, will officiate IDECS26 and deliver the opening address.

IDECS26’s four focus areas of Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, Digital Talent and the Emerging Space Economy reflect the development direction championed by the Premier of Sarawak to strengthen local technological capabilities and expand Sarawak’s participation in advanced industries.

These priorities also reinforce one another. Growth in AI and space-based technologies depends on semiconductor capabilities, while AI is increasingly central to how satellite and other forms of data are analysed and applied. For Sarawak, this opens up practical applications in areas such as rural connectivity, environmental and forestry monitoring, disaster management and other public and industrial services. Developing local talent across these fields will be equally important if more of the research, technical expertise and economic value behind these industries is to be built within Sarawak.

This direction reflects Sarawak’s wider development priorities under the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, which places digital transformation, innovation and a skilled workforce among the key enablers of the state’s transition towards a high-income economy.

Sarawak Utility and Telecommunication Minister Yang Berhormat Dato Sri Haji Julaihi Narawi said Sarawak now has an opportunity to build on the foundations developed over the past several years and convert them into greater economic value.

“Sarawak has made deliberate investments over the years to build the foundations of a digital economy, from connectivity and infrastructure to talent and innovation. We are now entering the next phase, where the measure of success is not how much technology we deploy, but the economic value we create from it,” said Yang Berhormat Dato Sri Haji Julaihi Narawi.

“Our ambition is to build a RM282 billion economy by 2030. Digitalisation will be critical to that growth because it gives us the ability to raise productivity across industries, compete for higher-value investment and develop new sources of economic growth.

“That is the opportunity ahead of us. We want the investments we have made to crowd in private capital, create industries with greater value here in Sarawak, and give Sarawakian companies and talent a stronger position in regional and global markets. IDECS26 is where we bring those ambitions together with the partners who can help us take them to scale.”

That ambition is taking shape alongside Malaysia’s broader push to move further up the technology value chain. Malaysia is targeting the digital economy to contribute 30% of national GDP by 2030, while Sarawak is pursuing its own target for the digital economy to contribute 20% of Sarawak’s GDP by the end of the decade.

IDECS26 will centre on five tracks covering The Future, Future Cities, Startup Village, SHE-TECH Asia Forum and the Centre of Excellence for Digital Economy (CoE). The programme will feature global and regional voices including Dr Soichi Noguchi, former Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Two-Time Guinness World Record Holder, Professor Jason Pomeroy, Founding Principal, Pomeroy Studio and CISL Fellow, Dr Catherine Ball, Scientific Futurist, Bestselling Author and Australian Business Woman of the Year, Dr Nici Sweaney, Founder, AI Her Way and Ethical AI Strategist, and De Kai, Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Distinguished Research Scholar at ICSI Berkeley.

Supporting that agenda, IDECS26 is expected to feature a series of new Memorandum of Understandings (MoU), launches and announcements across the two-day programme, spanning the conference’s technology, research, industry and ecosystem priorities. Further details will be unveiled during the event, giving industry, investors and other delegates a closer view of the partnerships and initiatives being developed as Sarawak moves more of its digital economy agenda towards implementation and commercial opportunity.

This year’s edition builds on IDECS25, which drew more than 10,000 delegates and concluded with 22 strategic agreements and collaborations across areas including artificial intelligence, connectivity and the bioeconomy. IDECS26 is made possible by invaluable partners including UMobile, Huawei, SMD Semiconductor, MEASAT, Reach Ten, SACOFA, the Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC), and many more.

Registration for IDECS26 is now open at https://idecs.com.my/. Free admission is also available to eligible attendees.