Maintain Western technology for DNB, says MP

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal urged the government to maintain Digital Nasional Bhd's Western technology to balance China's growing role in Malaysia's 5G and AI infrastructure.

He stressed the importance of multiple technology ecosystems for sovereign digital infrastructure, supporting both Western and Chinese technology pathways for national security.

Fayhsal highlighted the urgency of this balance with the proposed sovereign AI cloud, managed by Telekom Malaysia, as the government considers Huawei's chips.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Wawasan information chief and Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has urged Putrajaya to maintain Digital Nasional Bhd’s (DNB) Western technology stack, saying it is needed to balance the growing role of Chinese technology in Malaysia’s 5G and AI infrastructure.

Wan Fayhsal made the call in the Dewan Rakyat while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Tambun MP, was present in the chamber.

He said DNB’s Ericsson-based network was now Malaysia’s main Western technology counterweight, following U Mobile’s selection of Huawei for the country’s second 5G network.

He said the need to retain that balance had become more pressing as the government considers Huawei’s Ascend 910C chips for its proposed sovereign AI cloud, which could eventually handle sensitive government data.

“DNB was established by the Perikatan Nasional government in 2021. Now there are two paths, namely DNB with Ericsson and U Mobile with Huawei,” he said during his Budget 2027 debate.

“This is a good thing because Malaysia can benefit from Western and Eastern technology, as stressed by Tambun previously.”

Wan Fayhsal said Malaysia should not allow one technology ecosystem to become dominant across its critical digital infrastructure.

“I hope the government can retain both systems because, in my discussions with ambassadors from Europe and other Western countries, they want Malaysia to provide truly sovereign digital infrastructure so that they can invest in sensitive sectors,” he said.

The MP said keeping DNB on Western technology was therefore about more than 5G coverage or speed. It would give Malaysia and foreign investors a credible alternative for operations involving sensitive data.

He said the government’s proposed sovereign AI cloud made this consideration more urgent.

The government had announced a proposed RM2 billion allocation through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to establish the cloud under Budget 2026, with the initiative repeated in Budget 2027.

Wan Fayhsal said Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil had stated that work was under way to protect government data.

“Huawei Ascend 910C chips are being considered, and Telekom Malaysia (TM) has been selected to manage this project,” he said.

“The question is whether the government has carried out a risk assessment on the suppliers who will be used to handle national data.

“How will the government manage sensitivities related to digital sovereignty?”

He said the issue was whether Malaysia was building enough safeguards and alternatives as Chinese technology takes a greater role in the country’s digital ecosystem.

“The minister said work is ongoing to protect government data,” he said. “The government must explain whether it has conducted a risk assessment of the suppliers.”

Wan Fayhsal did not call for Chinese technology to be excluded. Instead, he said Malaysia should preserve both Western and Chinese technology pathways, so the country is not dependent on any one supplier or geopolitical bloc.

“Malaysia can benefit from Western and Eastern technology,” he said.

Maintaining DNB’s Ericsson-based stack, he added, would ensure that Malaysia retains a meaningful Western option while U Mobile’s Huawei-backed 5G network and the proposed sovereign AI cloud expand the role of Chinese technology in critical national infrastructure.

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Wan Ahmad Fayhsal 敦促政府保留 Digital Nasional Bhd 的西方技术，以平衡中国在马来西亚 5G 和人工智能基础设施领域日益增长的作用。

他强调了多种技术生态系统对于主权数字基础设施的重要性，支持西方和中国为国家安全发展而采取的技术路径。

Fayhsal 强调了在马来西亚电信公司管理的拟议主权人工智能云中保持这种平衡的紧迫性，因为政府正在考虑华为的芯片。

吉隆坡，10 月 22 日讯——Wawasan 信息主管兼马樟国会议员 Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal 敦促布城维持 Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) 的西方技术栈，称这对于平衡中国技术在马来西亚 5G 和人工智能基础设施中日益增长的作用至关重要。

万法萨尔在下议院发出这一呼吁，而首相拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣（同时也是淡汶国会议员）当时也在议会。

他表示，继 U Mobile 选择华为为马来西亚的第二个 5G 网络提供技术支持后，DNB 基于爱立信的网络现在已成为马来西亚对抗西方技术的主要力量。

他表示，随着政府考虑在其拟议的自主人工智能云平台中使用华为的昇腾910C芯片（该平台最终可能处理敏感的政府数据），保持这种平衡的必要性变得更加紧迫。

“DNB是由国民联盟政府于2021年成立的。现在有两条发展道路，分别是DNB与爱立信的合作以及U Mobile与华为的合作，”他在2027年财政预算案辩论中说道。

“这是一件好事，因为马来西亚可以从西方和东方的技术中受益，正如丹汶之前强调的那样。”

Wan Fayhsal表示，马来西亚不应允许单一技术生态系统在其关键数字基础设施领域占据主导地位。

他说：“我希望政府能够保留这两个系统，因为在我与欧洲和其他西方国家的大使的讨论中，他们希望马来西亚提供真正自主的数字基础设施，以便他们能够投资于敏感领域。”

这位议员表示，DNB继续使用西方技术，其意义远不止于5G覆盖范围或速度。这将为马来西亚和外国投资者提供一个可靠的替代方案，用于处理涉及敏感数据的业务。

他表示，政府提出的自主人工智能云计划使这一考虑变得更加紧迫。

政府已宣布通过马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会 (MCMC) 拨款 20 亿令吉，用于在 2026 年财政预算案中建立云服务，该举措在 2027 年财政预算案中再次得到重申。

万法萨尔表示，通讯部长拿督斯里法米·法兹尔曾表示，政府正在采取措施保护政府数据。

“我们正在考虑采用华为Ascend 910C芯片，并已选定马来西亚电信（TM）来管理这个项目，”他说。

“问题是政府是否对将要用于处理国家数据的供应商进行了风险评估。

“政府将如何处理与数字主权相关的敏感问题？”

他表示，问题在于随着中国技术在马来西亚的数字生态系统中发挥越来越重要的作用，马来西亚是否建立了足够的保障措施和替代方案。

“部长表示，政府正在努力保护政府数据，”他说。“政府必须解释是否对供应商进行过风险评估。”

万法萨尔并未呼吁排除中国技术。相反，他表示马来西亚应该同时保留西方和中国的技术发展路径，这样国家就不会依赖任何单一供应商或地缘政治集团。

他说：“马来西亚可以从西方和东方的技术中受益。”

他补充说，保留DNB基于爱立信的技术栈，将确保马来西亚保留一个有意义的西方选择，而U Mobile的华为支持的5G网络和拟议中的主权人工智能云将扩大中国技术在关键国家基础设施中的作用。

提前五天预警：马来西亚最新模型预测雾霾即将到来。

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