According to a recent report, Malaysia is in the midst of reviewing it’s 2018 and looking into the possibilities that lie ahead in 2019. With renewed vigour that the country hopes to make its way into the new year as ‘Malaysia Baru’.
The next decade of innovation will take the nation into the next era of Human-Machine Partnerships, wherein global tech experts predict that technology will impact the future of living, work and the economy.
The managing director at a major multinational electronics company and his team noted that put forward their 2019 predictions as Malaysia, and the world, enters a data-driven digital ecosystem.
- Greater immersion than ever in work and life
Virtual assistants continue to be pervasive in consumer technology, learning our preferences and proactively serving up content and information based on previous interactions.
Machine intelligence will be used to create immersive, everyday experiences; something Malaysia is already seeing with the launch of the first SUV model in the market equipped with AI-powered voice control system.
Moreover, people will be even more connected to their personal fitness with even more intelligent wellness tracking devices that can capture more information about the body, like heart rate variability (HRV), sleep patterns and more that they can easily share with healthcare providers for better care.
Immersive intelligence work – PCs and devices are in use every day will continue to learn peoples’ habits and proactively boot up with the right apps and services.
Advances in natural language processing and voice technologies will create a more productive dialogue with machines, while automation and robotics will create faster, more fluid collaboration with technology to get more done.
- Data is gold: more tech investments
Organisations have been stockpiling big data for years. In fact, it’s predicted that by 2020, the data volume will reach 44 trillion gigabytes or 44 zettabytes. As digital transformation takes shape, all that data will be put to good use.
And as they derive more value from that data – with insights driving new innovations and more efficient business processes – more investments will be born out of the technology sector.
New start-ups will emerge to tackle the bigger challenges that make AI a reality: data management and federated analytics where insights can be driven from virtually everywhere, and data compliance solutions for a safer, smarter way to deliver amazing outcomes.
- 5G everywhere
In other parts of the world, the first 5G devices are expected to enter the market sometime next year, promising to completely change the way we view and use data in terms of speed and accessibility.
5G’s low-latency, high-bandwidth networks enable billions of connected devices and also a myriad of AI, machine learning and compute solutions that support them – all happening at the edge, because that’s where data will be generated.
While micro-hubs (mini data centres) won’t be seen in Kuala Lumpur any time soon, various stakeholders are already exploring opportunities with the much anticipated next-generation network.
A task force set up by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will be leading 5G trials in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya in line with the government’s National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) to digitise the nation.
The first real implementations of 5G in Malaysia could happen as soon as 2020.
- Data forecast will call for more clouds
A recent global survey by IDC pointed to more than 80% of respondents repatriating data back to on-premise private clouds – and we can expect that trend to continue, even with projections for public cloud growth.
In Malaysia, the sentiments are similar. According to the recent Digital Transformation Index – while only 21% of Malaysian businesses have a clear digital plan and strategy in place, almost twice that number (39%) have identified multi-cloud as an investment priority in the next three years.
A critical part of any business strategy in today’s marketplace, organisations recognise the need to scale up their digital capabilities– a “cloud-first” strategy is a key cog in the overall digital transformation.
- Gen Z is all set to enter the workplace
Millennials will see members of the Gen Z population (born after 1995) entering the workforce over the next year – creating an increasingly diverse workforce spanning five generations.
This will create a rich range of experiences in life and technology. A study revealed that technology will be the driving force in the workplace of the future – 98% of Gen Z-ers in Malaysia will have used technology as part of their formal education; 90% want to work with cutting-edge technology; and 94% say that technology offered by an employer would be a factor in choosing among similar job offers.
Interestingly, Gen Z-ers will spark a new evolution in technology innovation for the workplace and create more opportunities for technology literacy and onsite learning for new skills with older generations of workers.
These digital natives are confident with their tech skills and are equally as comfortable to share their knowledge and mentor a co-worker. Gen Z-ers have a deep, universal understanding of technology and its potential to transform how we work and live, and more importantly are eager to lead the charge.
- Supply chains will be more sustainable
Organisations have started working towards phase out the older, unsustainable methods out of their business models through new innovation in recycling and closed-loop practices. Malaysia will see advances in supply chain traceability, by scrutinising and harnessing emerging technologies to identify precise opportunities to course correct. Blockchain will likely play a role as well, to ensure trust and safety in sourcing, while also securing information and data about goods and services along the way.
Thus, with innovations in 5G, AI and machine learning, cloud and blockchain throttling full steam ahead, these next 12 months are expected to be exciting for technology enthusiasts and consumers alike as the human civilisation dives into the Data Era – one that will see us unlocking the power of data in ways never before imagined, transforming everyday business and everyday life.
