SUSE and HeiTech Padu Berhad Partner to Accelerate Malaysia’s Cloud-Native Future and Drive Sovereign Innovation

 HeiTech Padu Berhad and SUSE’s Southeast Asia leadership at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ceremony

Digital transformation in Malaysia is reaching a pivotal new turning point. Digitalisation has been accelerating via designated Cloud Regions, and recent announcements such as the National Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP) highlight the ambition of Malaysia’s government to further modernize public services through secure, sovereign, and sustainable cloud technologies.

Today, we’re proud to announce a strategic collaboration between SUSE Asia Pacific and HeiTech Padu Berhad to support this national imperative. By signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both parties aim to establish HeiTech Padu Berhad as the strategic open source center of excellence for Malaysia, focusing on the adoption of Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) models to drive public sector efficiency and societal well-being. 

 HeiTech Padu Berhad and SUSE’s Southeast Asia leadership signed an agreement to advance open source AI capabilities
in the Malaysia tech ecosystem

Open Source, Open Innovation: A Multiplier Effect for the Malaysian Ecosystem

As the Malaysian government looks to shift 95% of its services online, and implement the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13), the need for responsive, real-time digital experiences has never been greater. 

Through this collaboration, SUSE andHeiTech Padu Berhad will empower government agencies to:

• Enhance Service Reliability: springboard from SUSE’s validated reference architectures and Heitech’s in-country technical expertise to ensure that critical public services – e.g. example healthcare & social services, energy, manufacturing,  telco, and education – remain accessible and resilient.
• Modernize Legacy Infrastructure: support transition from rigid, siloed systems to agile, cloud-native containerization.
• Prioritize Data Sovereignty: in alignment with emerging Sovereign AI Cloud initiatives, our joint solutions ensure that national data remains governed by Malaysian laws while benefiting from global open source innovation.
• Building Digital Talent: HeiTech will maintain a team of certified technical resources, supported by SUSE’s training and certification programs. This directly supports the MyDIGITAL goal of ensuring 100% of civil servants possess digital literacy.
• Fostering Inclusivity: By adopting a scalable CaaS model, we would support the government’s push to extend digital infrastructure into underserved areas, bridging the digital divide in line with the NCCP’s fourth pillar of Digital Inclusivity.

Looking Ahead

As Malaysia strives to become a high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy by 2030, the shift to open source and cloud-native technologies has become a critical foundation for national resilience. By localizing computing power and ensuring data residency, this partnership further supports the Malaysian government’s evolution towards becoming a competitive regional maker of secure, sovereign AI solutions. 

“Open source technology globally has been shown to contribute to the public good, for example by pooling knowledge and increasing security of services. Open source solutions also support a better return on investment, freeing up more resources for public sector innovation. For example, by reusing and recycling code rather than handling development in silos, government agencies can significantly reduce IT costs and downtime. This cost-effectiveness ensures that taxpayer money is channeled into building shared digital infrastructure that delivers high-quality public services for the Rakyat,” said Gayathri Peria, General Manager for Southeast Asia at SUSE. 

“At HeiTech Padu Berhad, our mission has always been to touch lives through innovative solutions. By integrating SUSE’s cloud-native expertise with our deep roots in Malaysia’s public sector, we are accelerating the vision of a data-driven government. Together, we are ensuring that the benefits of the digital economy – from streamlined public services to advanced AI-driven supply chains – are felt by every citizen while safeguarding our national data sovereignty,” added Syed Omar Albar, Group Chief Executive Officer of HeiTech Padu Berhad. 

Gayathri Peria, General Manager for Southeast Asia at SUSE and
Syed Omar Albar, Group Chief Executive Officer of HeiTech Padu Berhad at the MoU Ceremony

For more information on this partnership or to enquire about a pilot, please contact Hans Chang, SEA Channels & Ecosystems Director, SUSE.