IEEE International Microwave, Electron Devices, Solid- state Circuits Symposium (IMESS) 2018

Speech by Chief Minister of Penang 
at IEEE International Microwave, Electron Devices, Solid- state Circuits Symposium
(IMESS) 2018

PSDC @ 9 Oct 2018

 

Mr Muhamed Ali Hajah Mydin, CEO of PSDC

Dr Jagadheswaran Rajendran, IEEE Penang Chapter Chair cum IMESS 2018 Chair

Distinguished speakers and guests

Members of the Press

Ladies and Gentlemen

Selamat pagi and Good Morning everyone.

I am pleased to be here this morning to officiate the 3rd annual IEEE International Microwave, Electron Devices, Solid-State Circuits Symposium IMESS 2018. The theme of this year IMESS is " IOT, AI and 5G: Intelligent Solutions for a Connected World". This insightful and meaningful theme has indeed offered holistic overview of the future world, IOT, AI and 5G are all interconnected. Following successful conferences the last two years, IMESS2018 features strong lineup of speakers from local and international renowned institutions and companies, I believe it will stimulate fruitful discussions and also facilitate networking for future collaboration, this is how Penang will progress in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. We have to be connected to the outside world so that Penang is not left behind in this IOT era. Penang is definitely a location of choice to host IMESS as more than one-third of the E&E investments inflows into Malaysia is in Penang.

I would like to offer my heartfelt appreciation to IMESS Chair Dr Jagadheswaran Rajendran and his team for their commitment and persistent work, Penang Skills Development Center and fellow sponsors for their undivided and continuous support to sponsor this annual symposium to benefit the technical community. Both IMESS2016 and IMESS2018 have been reported in IEEE Electron Device Society Newsletter and Solid State Circuit Magazine indicating IMESS is being recognized as one of the premier technical conferences on microwave theory, electron devices and solid state circuit in the region. This industry driven symposium is unique in such a way that it covers wide spectrum and frontier of knowledge from tiny electron to complete communication system simultaneously covers the interests of audience from academic to industry.

IOT has been implemented in many sectors, especially manufacturing, “machine –to-machine talk” is a reality now and will be extended to many more applications exponentially, the IOT wave is inevitable, coupled with artificial intelligence and 5G network which enables faster speed and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices than ever before, it will change the way how we are connected. Typical example of how connectivity changed life style is cashless society in China. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, we expect the adoption of cashless payment to also increase with five Malaysian banks and as many as 28 non-bank entities having e-money licenses issued by the Bank Negara.

To keep abreast with development of these intelligent solutions, we could not stay stagnant and use old knowledge and methods to solve new problems which are much more complex. Lifelong learning culture is crucial to keep our technology workforce stayed competitive and connected with international in future. By attending symposiums, conferences and seminars, it is hoped that current workforce in Penang, not only limited to electrical and electronic industry but from multiple disciplines will continuously acquire new knowledge and expand networking so that their knowledge is on par with their international peers.

We are also encouraged to spur the interest in STEM among our young generations. The Penang state government has already allocated RM75 million to the Centre of Excellence (COEs) of @CAT Penang (Accelerator for Creative, Analytics and Technology), Penang Skill Development Centre (PSDC), Penang Science Cluster (PSC), Karpal Singh Penang Learning Centre (KSPLC), Tech Dome Penang (TDP), and Penang Digital Library (PDL). We continue to look forward for public-private-professional-people partnership to create even more impactful benefits out of our STEM COEs in Penang. We hope that this will continue to enhance the pipeline of young engineers and technical experts in Penang.

In this symposium, distinguished speakers will share their works in their respective field of specialization, other than learning from speakers, please make use this opportunity to exchange views and ideas, this is an important part of lifelong learning. Moving forward, let us stay connected via technology intelligently.

Wishing all a productive and fruitful symposium!

Pejabat Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Tingkat 28, KOMTAR, 10502, George Town, Pulau Pinang