Kajang, July 14, 2025 – The fifth day of the KLUST Expert Talk Series on 14th July 2025 featured a strategic address by KLUST’s very own – Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Tan Chee Fai, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Strategic Engagement).
“AI-Powered Manufacturing: ASEAN-China Collaboration for Smart, Sustainable, and Scalable Industry”
Prof. Dr. Tan articulated a transformative framework for ASEAN-China industrial collaboration centered on artificial intelligence as a catalytic force. He emphasized three interconnected imperatives: achieving Smart manufacturing through AI-driven predictive maintenance, computer vision quality control, and autonomous supply chain optimization; advancing Sustainable practices via energy-efficient digital twins, blockchain-enabled circular economies, and carbon-neutral production; and enabling Scalable solutions adaptable to ASEAN’s diverse industrial landscapes, such as Thailand’s automotive sector and Indonesia’s textile hubs. Prof. Dr. positioned Kuala Lumpur University of Science and Technology as a pivotal hub for this collaboration, proposing joint R&D consortia for industrial AI applications, cross-border talent incubators with ethics-centered curricula, and policy frameworks ensuring secure data sovereignty. He underscored how synergistic partnerships could transform regional challenges – including semiconductor supply chain vulnerabilities and SME digitalization gaps – into strategic advantages through aligned technological investments and knowledge sharing.
Prof. Dr. Tan’s address established AI-driven ASEAN-China collaboration as a geopolitical imperative, demonstrating how intelligent co-innovation could reshape global manufacturing ecosystems. The session affirmed KLUST’s role in orchestrating transnational knowledge partnerships where academia accelerates Fourth Industrial Revolution readiness, setting a precedent for the Expert Talk Series’ focus on technology-led regional progress.
