INDUSTRY Cyberjaya attracts global companies such as Shell and BT to enjoy its hi-tech facilities
City of the future is a present success

Well on its way, Cyberjaya is becoming one of the most desirable places to live and work

he most technologically advanced city in Malaysia is barely two years old, but already it has attracted more than 50 global blue-chip companies to set up operations there. Cyberjaya, part of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), was officially launched by prime minister Mahathir Mohamed in July 1999.
The corridor is the brainchild of the prime minister, designed to propel Malaysia into the 21st century of global communications, information technology and trade. It is a 15km by 50km strip running from the heart of the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Abdul Karim bin Abu Bakar is chief executive of Setia Haruman, the master developer of Cyberjaya, says Malaysia had been lagging behind in technological development. The prime minister came up with the idea of the MSC as “the only way to catch up without reinventing the wheel”, says Mr Karim Bakar.
Cyberjaya is one of two ‘smart’ cities being developed in the MSC – the other is Putrajaya, the new seat of government and administrative capital. “We decided to build Cyberjaya, which is designed as the research lab and centre of technology transfer, next to Putrajaya,” he says.

Abdul Karim Bakar, chief executive of Setia Haruman, says Cyberjaya’s success will pave the way for more smart cities

Cyberjaya covers some 18,000 acres, about half an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur and 20 minutes from the international airport. Global companies that have already opened include Shell, which has located one of its three IT global centres there, and BT, which is researching broadband and networking technologies.
As a place to live and work, Cyberjaya is well on its way to becoming one of the most modern and desirable places in the country. By 2011, it will be a city of more than 120,000 residents who will enjoy hi-tech homes, communications and recreational amenities.

“This is a joint venture between the four biggest construction companies in the country and is privately financed. It is a total commercial success,” says Mr Karim Bakar.
The plan is to build 2,000 new homes a year, with around 15 people per acre, one of the lowest urban population densities in the world. “Our philosophy is to create a new community,” adds Mr Karim Bakar.
Great attention has been given to the environment – much of the development of the MSC is on green-field sites. There is a height restriction on buildings, air quality and water levels are monitored, and all the trees cut down during development have been replaced.
“The area surrounding Cyberjaya will also benefit from its development,” adds Mr Karim Bakar. “The MSC will enhance the nation’s knowledge-based economy. As Cyberjaya becomes more successful, the nation can move forward and develop more of these projects and there will be more smart cities.”

Rafidah Aziz, international trade and industry minister, urges Chinese companies to take advantage of the MSC

The ‘brain’ of Cyberjaya is the City Command Centre, which acts as a central monitoring hub to manage and control key services. It manages traffic, utilities, community facilities, municipal services and public amenities.
China’s entry into the WTO has served as a reminder that Malaysia must compete in an increasingly global commercial economy. To speed up development, the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) has stepped up its activities at home and abroad, with the opening of new trade and investment offices in Shanghai.
The offices were opened by international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz, who has urged Chinese companies, particularly those based in Shanghai, to take advantage of the MSC’s state-of-the-art facilities.
MIDA was set up in the late 1960s to diversify Malaysia’s economy and reduce its dependence on rubber and palm oil. Over the next two decades, Malaysia went from being an exporter of primary products to one of the world’s top three exporters of components for the telecoms and IT sectors.

Chairman Zainal Abidin Sulong says 80 per cent of Malaysia’s exports are now industrial products, the majority of which are electronic components. “Our economy is just like that of Singapore or Hong Kong – totally exposed to global trade,” he says.
A key part of MIDA’s work is to help com-panies add value to their products. One of the current growth areas is petrochemicals, particularly in Pahang on the east coast, where the US is a major investor.