PETALING JAYA: Scicom (MSC) Bhd is looking to expand across Asean by exporting its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, digital platforms and operating expertise rather than replicating its traditional call-centre model in other markets.
Group CEO Datuk Seri Leo Ariyanayakam said the company’s regional strategy is centred on taking the technology, AI architecture, platforms and operating know-how it develops in Malaysia into other Southeast Asian markets, particularly in areas such as immigration, border management, trade facilitation, digital identity and citizen services.
He said Scicom sees similarities in the digitalisation needs of emerging economies across the region, creating opportunities to adapt platforms that have already been developed and operated at scale in Malaysia.
“For us, going regional is not mainly about opening call centres in more countries. It is about exporting Scicom’s technology, AI architecture, platforms and operating know-how, which is a far more scalable model,” Leo told SunBiz.
He said Malaysia could become an exporter of GovTech solutions rather than merely an importer of technology.
Scicom’s regional ambitions form part of a broader shift in its business model, with the group seeking to combine AI, systems integration and managed operations to provide technology-enabled services to enterprises and governments.
Leo said Scicom’s advantage is that it already operates processes that many organisations are seeking to automate, including customer journeys, contact centres, service operations, workforce management and compliance.
The combination of AI technology, systems integration and managed operations provides Scicom with a differentiated capability as it expands beyond traditional outsourcing, he added.
The group has also been positioning its partnership with Telekom Malaysia Bhd as a way to commercialise its AI capabilities at enterprise scale.
The partnership combines TM’s digital infrastructure with Scicom’s AI-powered service delivery and covers applications including conversational bots, predictive analytics, sentiment analysis and intelligent routing across voice and digital channels.
Leo said the objective is not simply to demonstrate AI applications, but to deploy them in mission-critical environments where they need to handle large volumes, integrate with legacy systems, meet security requirements and deliver measurable outcomes.
The approach could position Scicom to address one of the challenges highlighted by the latest AI adoption data, which is moving beyond basic applications towards wider enterprise deployment.
The latest AWS study on Malaysian AI adoption found that 38% of businesses consistently use at least one AI tool in 2026, up from 27% in 2025. However, 67% of adopters remain focused on basic applications, while 19% have a formal strategy to scale AI across functions.
The study also found that 69% of businesses considered locally based software providers and AI solution developers important to their AI adoption, while 57% primarily obtained AI capabilities from external providers, consultants or software vendors.
For Scicom, the opportunity extends beyond commercial enterprises to government and government-linked organisations, where data sovereignty and security requirements can influence how AI is deployed.
Leo said Scicom could deploy AI through private cloud or on-premise infrastructure, together with controlled models and strict access management, for sensitive government and government-linked company applications.
He expects sovereign AI to become an increasingly important consideration for enterprise AI deployment in the region.
“Customer data belongs to the customer, and AI doesn’t change that principle. Scicom’s proposition is to deploy AI while allowing customers to retain control of sovereign or commercially sensitive data.”
The company also sees its Malaysian GovTech projects as potential proving grounds for regional expansion.
One such platform is the GITC TVET Placement Centre, which was launched in June as a national digital ecosystem intended to connect TVET (technical and vocational education and training) talent with industry.
Leo said the platform is targeting 1,000 participating companies by the end of 2026 and 50,000 to 100,000 job placements by 2027.
The platform was officially launched in conjunction with National TVET Day in June, with the Higher Education Ministry describing it as a mechanism to strengthen the link between TVET education and industry demand.
The ministry said the platform also covers industrial training, work-based learning and industrial attachments for lecturers and trainers.
