DID you watch this year’s Spring Festival Gala by the China Media Group? The most stunning and buzzworthy segment of the annual variety show that welcomes Chinese New Year was the one with over 200 robots performing synchronised martial arts movements, somersaults, even break dancing alongside children. I was gobsmacked and watched it several times on YouTube. While I was utterly impressed, it also sent shivers down my spine. I shared my concern over how artificial intelligence (AI) was growing so fast that experts are warning it could become uncontrollable and turn lethal in a September 2025 column titled “So smart it could kill you” (online at bit.ly/star_auntysmart).

KUALA LUMPUR (March 4): The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) through Mimos Bhd is focusing on integrated circuit (IC) design, advanced packaging and high-value technology to increase the complexity of the country's economy. Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said the effort was made to enable local companies to move towards original design manufacturers (ODMs) and technology owners. Through Mimos' Semiconductor Technology Centre (STC) and Industry Technology Innovation Centre (ITIC) in Kulim, Mimos provides wafer fabrication facilities, IC testing, failure and material analysis, reliability testing as well as co-design facilities. He said ITIC had also organised 19 technical trainings and seminars benefitting about 400 participants from 60 local industry players and academia throughout 2025. "With over 1,400 patterns filed [330 in semiconductors], Mimos supports technology transfer models through licensing, industry co-development and spin-offs," he said.

(March 4): ASM International NV forecasted revenue for the first quarter that beat analysts’ estimates, boosted by higher demand from China and continued artificial intelligence investments. The rapid development of data centres has led to semiconductor manufacturers boosting capacity, in turn stoking demand for chip-equipment makers’ products. ASM then announced a stronger-than-anticipated preliminary order intake for the fourth quarter, driven by “solid” bookings from logic customers and a rebound in demand from China. ASM said it now expects sales in China to increase in 2026, calling it “a notable improvement” from its prior forecast of a double‑digit decline. The expansion is aimed at supporting ASM’s target of reaching more than €5.7 billion in sales by 2030.

ALOR SETAR (March 4): The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Kedah branch has remanded two enforcement officers on suspicion of soliciting and accepting bribes, amounting to RM39,000, earlier this year. According to MACC sources, the bribes were allegedly given in exchange for securing approval for foreign worker permits, for a company operating in the state. “Last night, the state MACC detained two enforcement officers, along with an individual believed to be a middleman, in connection with this case. However, the male suspect [the middleman] was released on MACC bail, on Wednesday. “Preliminary investigations found that the two suspects allegedly conspired to commit the offence between January and February, by soliciting bribes from the company’s agent through the middleman,” the sources said.

(March 4): Crypto markets rebounded on Wednesday (March 4), recovering from a selloff triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East and shaking off pain in other asset classes. Bitcoin rallied as much as 5.6% to briefly surpass the US$71,812 (RM283,477.75) mark in morning trading in London, hitting its highest value in nearly a month. Futures for US stock indexes also fell across the board, while Europe’s Stoxx 600 rallied slightly. Despite Wednesday’s rebound, crypto markets remain on edge, with Bitcoin still about 40% below its October peak following a prolonged selloff. “Bitcoin is vulnerable due to the increased volatility of stock indexes, which is forcing institutional investors to reduce their leverage.”

PUTRAJAYA (March 4): The process of refining the Constitution (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2026, aimed at separating the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor, is expected to take about three months, Madani government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said. He said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said informed the Cabinet that the bill would be discussed at a Dewan Rakyat special select committee meeting from March 16. The Constitution (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2026, which seeks to separate the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor, was referred to the Dewan Rakyat special select committee on Tuesday. Azalina said the special select committee on the constitutional amendment on the separation of the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor would review the bill, including the proposed oversight mechanism for the public prosecutor. The committee will be chaired by Azalina and comprise 11 MPs from both the government and opposition blocs.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 4): Exsim Hospitality Bhd (KL:EXSIMHB) announced the partnership with developer Majestic Gen to introduce professionally-managed accommodation in selected developments nationwide, with a potential pipeline of over 3,000 keys over the next four years. The collaboration will see Exsim Hospitality’s hospitality brand, Mana Mana Hospitality, appointed as the operator for selected projects within Majestic Gen’s portfolio. “Our collaboration with Mana Mana Hospitality aligns with Majestic Gen’s vision of delivering sustainable, high-quality and innovative developments across Malaysia,” she said during her speech at the partnership-signing ceremony on Wednesday. For Exsim Hospitality, the partnership forms part of its strategy to scale Mana Mana Hospitality into a larger hospitality operating platform. In her speech, Mana Mana Hospitality managing director Debbie Leow said the collaboration supports the brand’s plans to broaden its operational scope beyond short-term rentals.

COLOMBO (March 4): At least 101 people were missing and 78 wounded after a submarine attack on an Iranian ship off Sri Lanka's coast, sources in Sri Lanka's navy and defence ministry told Reuters on Wednesday.

(March 4): Several Chinese financial firms are scaling back exposure to Middle Eastern debt, while regulators are stepping up oversight as the conflict raises concerns over the nation’s extensive lending in the region. One major bank took a rare step in restricting a drawdown on a bilateral loan to one of the Abu Dhabi government’s financial entities, a person familiar with the matter said. A Chinese insurer’s asset management arm is reducing holdings of sovereign and state-linked bonds, including those issued by Saudi Aramco, one person said. Meanwhile, traders at a Chinese institution have been instructed to halt dealings in names from the region starting Monday, a separate person said. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority contacted at least two local banks this week to review their exposure to Middle Eastern loans and bonds, people familiar with the matter said.

The Bumiputera portion attracted 3,887 applications for 199.5 million shares, translating to an oversubscription rate of 9.64 times, while the public portion recorded 3,164 applications for 217.3 million shares, representing 10.59 times oversubscription. The 18.75 million shares reserved for eligible directors, employees and contributors to the group’s success were fully subscribed, it added. Meanwhile, the 75 million issue shares to institutional and selected investors via private placement have been fully placed out. Another 18.75 million shares and 75 million offer shares set aside for identified Bumiputera investors approved by the Ministry of Investment , Trade and Industry, have also been fully subscribed. The company’s IPO comprised 150 million new shares and an offer for sale of 75 million shares.

Now the AI boom has turned the memory chip business model upside down. Last year, memory chip prices accounted for 5% to 7% of the total cost of PCs or laptops. Over the past few months, Samsung has cut production of other kinds of memory chips and boosted production of higher-end HBM chips. The NAND flash memory market is slightly less concentrated than the DRAM market. The surge in memory chip prices is boosting the bottom lines of two Korean chip giants.

(March 4): The conflict in the Middle East sent a chill through one of Singapore’s marquee real estate conferences even before the event started. “Clients are very scared,” said Hamish MacDonald, the head of Asia-Pacific real estate at BlackRock Inc. “Nothing is locked in on the capital raising or deal front.”Canadian pension fund La Caisse was starting to look at Middle East real estate but it is now likely to “pause and see what happens,” said Josephine Yip, the firm’s managing director for Asia-Pacific real estate, during a panel on Wednesday. A Bloomberg gauge of Asian developed market real estate stocks was down around 4%. On top of the real estate crisis, “people don’t want to invest in China because of a strategic discount,” said Francois Trausch, the CEO of PIMCO Prime Real Estate, pointing to the continuing geopolitical tensions.

GEORGE TOWN (March 4): Penang's revised land tax formula, effective 2026, treats all landowners fairly and equitably, eliminating discrimination between First Grade and non-First Grade landowners, particularly given that the rates had not been reviewed for over 30 years. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow explained that the tax rates for First Grade land, Conditions A, B, C, and the No Condition category reflect current land use, as set out in the categories gazetted under the Penang Land (Amendment) Rules 2025. He informed that of the 370,000 land tax bills issued, the Penang State Land and Mines Office has received only 300 appeals to date. In this regard, Chow expressed regret over certain parties sensationalising the increase without understanding the calculation and actual land use. The state government carried out the land tax rate revision and reclassification of rural to urban land for the whole of Penang under Section 101 of the National Land Code (Act 828), effective Jan 1, involving nearly 370,000 land titles.

TOKYO (March 4): Japan and the United States are working to include a nuclear power project in the second round of deals under Japan's US$550-billion (RM2.1-trillion) investment package, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The nuclear power project, which the sources say will involve Westinghouse, is designed to strengthen both countries' energy supply chains as war in the Middle East renews concerns about energy security. It has already announced three projects valued at US$36 billion, including a natural gas power plant in Ohio. A project to construct a copper smelting and refining facility is also being considered, the sources said. The fact sheet also said Falcon Copper was considering building a US$2 billion copper smelting and refining facility and is exploring involvement from Japanese suppliers and off-takers.

(March 4): Indonesia’s foreign minister said talks on US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative have been put on hold as diplomatic attention shifts to the escalating Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US. Tubagus Hasanuddin, a senior opposition lawmaker, called on the government to withdraw and take a firmer stance on the Iran conflict. “The president explained” the Board of Peace, Al Muzzammil Yusuf, president of the Prosperous Justice Party, told reporters afterward. Hassan Wirajuda, a former foreign minister, said Prabowo indicated the government would evaluate Indonesia’s participation in the Board of Peace as geopolitical conditions evolve. He added that Indonesia’s potential role as a mediator in the conflict was only briefly mentioned.