USM AND SANDISK LAUNCH MALAYSIA’S FIRST 'UNIVERSITY IN INDUSTRY' WITH CiA LAB INITIATIVE
BATU KAWAN, PENANG, 7 August 2025 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Sandisk Corporation have officially launched the USM-Sandisk Centre of Innovation and Automation Lab (CiA Lab), marking a milestone collaboration that bridges academic excellence with industrial innovation.
The CiA Lab, entirely located within Sandisk’s facility and fully sponsored by the global data storage leader, stands as Malaysia’s first ‘University in Industry’, a transformative model redefining how talent is developed and research is applied within the context of Industry 4.0.
The inauguration ceremony, officiated by the Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, reflects the nation’s commitment to strengthening partnerships between universities and industry to enhance national capacity.
“This collaboration places a university within an industry setting, opening new pathways for research, talent development, and national resilience,” said Zambry, affirming the Ministry’s support for similar initiatives.
The CiA Lab will focus on Lights Out Manufacturing, featuring 14 projects across seven key areas and empowering student apprenticeships, hands-on industrial training, and attachment programmes to enhance workforce readiness.
Sandisk’s Batu Kawan site, recognised as Malaysia’s first 4IR Lighthouse and Asia’s first Sustainability Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum (WEF), now provides USM students and researchers direct access to a high-tech manufacturing ecosystem.
According to Zambry, “Academic staff, particularly in science, technology and engineering, must equip themselves with the latest technologies so that our future talents stay current with industry demands.”
“This inauguration demonstrates what long-term focus and trust can achieve, and it sets a precedent for others to follow,” added Zambry, ending his speech with a call to expand such collaborations nationwide.
He also emphasised that the Ministry of Higher Education will continue to work closely with all universities and institutes of higher learning to ensure the success and sustainability of such collaborations, with a lasting impact on society and the nation at large.
According to the Vice President and General Manager, SDSM Operations, Sandisk Storage Malaysia, Lim Boon Soo, “Sandisk Malaysia has been collaborating with various universities in Malaysia through our Campus Connect, internships, NCG (New College Graduate), and professional development programmes. Many current employees of Sandisk in Malaysia have joined our team through these programmes.”
“Beyond physical infrastructure, the lab promotes a culture of innovation through cross-sector collaboration, aiming to produce highly skilled and ethically grounded graduates who meet industry needs.
“The CiA lab formation with USM is thus an important effort to establish long term collaborations in technology innovation frontier,” he added.
Meanwhile, USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed praised the partnership as a dynamic model that not only aligns with Malaysia’s digital economy vision but also fosters meaningful knowledge exchange through workshops and seminars.
He said, “To promote knowledge dissemination and capacity-building, a series of seminars and workshops has been conducted, focusing on Industry 4.0 themes such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These sessions have engaged both academia and industry practitioners in meaningful knowledge exchange.”
Also present at the inauguration were Senior Director of Automation Development Engineering at Sandisk, Mr. Hew Peng Koon; Director of USM Engineering Campus, Professor Ir. Dr. Mariatti Jaafar @ Mustapha; Dean of the USM School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Shahrel Azmin Sundi @ Suandi; along with principal officers from MOHE, Sandisk, and USM.
Text: Shafinaz Md Ismail & Tan Ewe Hoe/ Photo: Mohd Fairus Md Isa