Malaysia's high-tech aim gets boost with Japanese microchip<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
A Japanese firm unveiled plans to produce a revolutionary
\nmicrochip in Malaysia as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad held
\ntalks here on Thursday with global hi-tech chiefs.<\/p>\n
FEC (M) Sdn. Bhd. chief executive Kunioki Ichioka was quoted
\nby the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia as saying the patent for
\nproducing and marketing the MM chip would be shifted to Malaysia
\nin six months.<\/p>\n
Measuring 0.5 of a square millimeter and produced at less than
\n0.38 ringgit (US$10 cents) each, he said the chip would cut the
\nproduction cost of Malaysia's national \"smart identity card\" from
\nseven ringgit to one ringgit.<\/p>\n
The smart card, the world's first for citizens, launched two
\nyears ago, wraps passport, identification, driver's license,
\nmedical and other personal details in a piece of plastic the size
\nof a credit card.<\/p>\n
Ichioka said the MM chip can also be inserted into the human
\nbody, bullets, credit cards and other items for verification
\npurposes, and can replace price bar codes used to tag products.<\/p>\n
The chip will be manufactured in FEC's factory in northern
\nKedah state.<\/p>\n
Asked if MM was an acronym for Mahathir Mohamad, he said:
\n\"Maybe, it can also stand for Microchip Malaysia.\"<\/p>\n
Officials said further details would be announced later on
\nThursday by Mahathir after his annual talks with members of the
\nInternational Advisory Panel on development of Malaysia's
\nMultimedia Super Corridor (MSC), which aims to make the country a
\nhigh-tech hub.<\/p>\n
Only 17 out of some 50 members of the MSC panel were attending
\nThursday's session while another 14 had sent representatives.<\/p>\n
On the agenda are business strategies in the new economy,
\nglobal outsourcing, broadband technologies, research,
\nnanotechnology and biotechnology, officials said.<\/p>\n
The MSC, a hi-tech enclave modeled after California's Silicon
\nValley, was launched in 1996 by the 77-year-old Mahathir who
\nwants to see Malaysia become a developed nation by 2020.<\/p>\n
Stretching about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south from Kuala
\nLumpur to the new international airport, it now houses 887
\ntechnology firms, 29 institutions of higher learning and nine
\nincubator companies.<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will takeover
\nfrom Mahathir when he retires at the end of October after 22
\nyears in power, earlier this week said the MSC had achieved much
\nsuccess.<\/p>\n
He said a total of 21,102 jobs were expected to be created
\nwithin the MSC this year, up almost ten-fold from 2,190 jobs on
\noffer in 1997.<\/p>\n
Total revenue of MSC firms is expected to surge from 3.93
\nbillion ringgit in 2002 to an estimated 5.83 billion ringgit this
\nyear, and 7.98 billion in 2004, he said.<\/p>\n
Mahathir previously said the hub had not contributed to the
\neconomy as much as he expected. Critics have complained of a lack
\nof focus, excessive bureaucratic red-tape and a shortage of
\nskilled labor.<\/p>\n
But investment in the MSC has recently picked up pace with
\nBritish banking group HSBC and Sweden's telecoms firm Ericsson
\nlaunching regional centers in the zone in July.<\/p>",
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