Sunway Iskandar and NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (NEC) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a collaboration which aims to augment safety and security for the 1,800-acre Sunway Iskandar township in Johor and to develop smart city solutions together in an Innovation Centre of Excellence (CoE).

The MoU will see the appointment of NEC Asia Pacific as one of Sunway Iskandar’s preferred ICT Vendor (system integrator and equipment provider).

NEC plans to invest an estimated RM100 million into the township of Sunway Iskandar, which will create skilled tech jobs and develop local “technopreneurs” and tech-savvy talents within the economic growth corridor of Iskandar Malaysia.

Managing Director of Sunway Berhad’s Property Division, Malaysia and Singapore, Sarena Cheah signed the MoU with the Managing Director and Deputy CEO (ASEAN Sub-Region) of NEC Asia Pacific, Lim Kok Quee today at Sunway Iskandar’s Sales Gallery.

The signing was witnessed by Sunway Group President Dato’ Chew Chee Kin; Chairman of the Board at NEC Corporation, Dr. Nobuhiro Endo; CEO of NEC Asia Pacific, Tetsuro Akagi; Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) CEO, Datuk Ismail Ibrahim; and Chairman of International Trade, Investment and Utility Committee, Johor, Jimmy Puah Wee See.

As part of the MoU, NEC will explore:

• The implementation of the latest NEC technologies, including biometrics and video analytics, towards making Sunway Iskandar a smart, secure and sustainable township.

• The establishment of a one-stop service desk support centre for NEC’s Managed Service business in Sunway Iskandar.

• The creation of an Innovation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Sunway Iskandar in partnership with Sunway iLabs, which may eventually create hundreds of job opportunities over the years.

 Lim said, “Our collaboration with Sunway expands our footprint in Malaysia. The Sunway Group is an ideal partner for us, as they demonstrate a strong will to digitalise and innovate for solutions that will deliver sustainable socio-economic value.”

“Sunway Iskandar is the best site for establishing our new Innovation Centre of Excellence, as it is a fast-growing city, with sustainability at its core. It is a gateway for us to expand our smart city solutions in Malaysia and the ASEAN region,” he added.

Dato’ Chew said, “As NEC is a deep tech company, we can learn a lot from NEC. We look forward to NEC setting up a research and development centre in Sunway Iskandar.”

SUNWAY ISKANDAR’S SECURITY AT THE FORE

NEC will be exploring the implementation of its range of digital solutions, including integrating IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies such as fingerprint and facial recognition and video analytics technologies in Sunway Iskandar, augmenting its ongoing township security endeavours.

Sunway Iskandar is currently building on its team of 160 auxiliary police who are trained under the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and strictly follow the standard operation procedures of the PDRM. The security team conducts patrols around Sunway Iskandar. By 2020, Sunway Iskandar aims to have 200 auxiliary police officers and personnel to safeguard the development.

A 20,000 SQ FT INNOVATION COE FOR FUTURE TECHNOPRENEURS

As part of the collaboration, NEC plans to establish a 20,000 sq ft Innovation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the upcoming Sunway Big Box Village, a part of the Sunway Iskandar township.

The CoE aims to build a pool of talent and expand its subject matter expert (SME) personnel, mainly in the fields of public safety, transportation and healthcare.

Sunway’s non-profit incubator and accelerator, Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs) and the CoE will jointly explore the development of talent for the co-creation of new solutions by providing a “living lab” environment to allow proof-of-concepts before commercialization.

The CoE will be opened in tandem with Sunway Big Box Village’s opening in 2020.

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