Prime Highlights

• Johor is developing a 7,300-acre Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC) to attract global companies, researchers, and universities for collaboration in technology, green energy, and digital innovation.
• The hub is designed to complement Singapore’s strengths in capital, talent, and global connectivity, fostering a cross-border innovation ecosystem.

Key Facts

• IBTEC, valued at RM27 billion ($6.5 billion), aims to become a full “innovation corridor” within ten years.
• Johor plans to support the region’s growing data center sector with training programs and infrastructure, leveraging land availability and investments from companies like Microsoft.

Background

Johor is moving ahead with plans to build a 7,300-acre innovation hub along the Singapore border, positioning the Malaysian state as a major growth center for technology, research, and green industries. Johor Corporation (JCorp) president and CEO Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said the project is designed to work in partnership with Singapore, which offers strong capital, talent, and global connectivity.

Speaking at the Fortune Innovation Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Syed Mohamed acknowledged that Johor is still developing the building blocks needed for a competitive innovation ecosystem. They include advanced physical infrastructure, open digital systems, and rules that encourage experimentation. He noted that Singapore already has these strengths, while Johor brings land availability and expansion potential. “This is the place where our strengths can work together,” he said.

JCorp’s flagship initiative, the Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC), has a gross development value of RM27 billion ($6.5 billion) and forms a key part of the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone established earlier this year. The project aims to attract global companies, researchers, and universities to collaborate on challenges such as food security, green energy, and digital transformation.

Syed Mohamed said IBTEC will become a lively zone for innovators within five years, and could develop into a full “innovation corridor” within a decade. He stressed that economic transformation must remain people-focused. “We prefer to call it creative renewal,” he said, adding that communities affected by disruption should still see opportunity.

Johor also aims to benefit from the region’s fast-growing data center sector. Global companies like Microsoft are investing heavily in Malaysia because of its land and resources. To support this, JCorp will offer training programs in data center management as part of IBTEC’s long-term plan.