Speaker

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Abdul Hadi Abd Rahman
Associate Professor
Faculty of Information Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Biography

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Hadi Abd Rahman is a recognised expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics in Malaysia, with contributions spanning international, national, industry, and academic domains. Internationally, he was invited to present the Report on the Development of the Artificial Intelligence Industry in Malaysia at the First Forum on China-ASEAN AI Cooperation 2023, reaffirming his role as a regional thought leader. He is an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University, Canada (2021–2027) and collaborates with Tokai University, Japan on autonomous robotics. In 2023, he was part of the Malaysia AI Delegation to the United Kingdom, under the British High Commission, to assess national progress under the Malaysia AI Roadmap 2021–2025. Nationally, Dr. Abdul Hadi leads the WaRiSAN MELAYU Project, a RM8 million initiative under Budget 2025 to build Malaysia’s sovereign Bahasa Melayu Large Language Model (LLM) and supporting infrastructure. The project comprises over 25 sub-projects, covering corpus development, domain-specific datasets, and applied use cases, positioning UKM as the national hub for continuous LLM-BM development. He is an active member of national platforms including the ASM Task Force on Robotics, where he contributed to the National Robotics Roadmap 2021–2030, the National Blockchain and AI Committee (NBAIC), and the Robotic Talent Development Academy (RoTDA). He is also part of the Young Scientist Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM). In industry, Dr. Abdul Hadi serves as AI consultant to FGV R&D, advancing smart agriculture, and holds a strategic MoA with Move Robotics to commercialize service robots. Since 2012, he has contributed to the UTM-Proton Active Safety (UPAS) Lab and the Vehicle System Engineering Lab (MJIIT, UTM), where he developed AI-based perception modules for autonomous vehicles using LiDAR, radar, and vision fusion. Academically, he leads the ARVIS Lab at UKM and is the inventor of AiRIS, an AI-powered autonomous service robot, and OQSense, a multi-depth vision system. As Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) at FTSM, UKM, he drives AI research, talent development, and innovation translation across Malaysia and ASEAN.

Title: WaRiSAN MELAYU: Building a Collaborative AI Bahasa Melayu Ecosystem

WaRiSAN MELAYU (Wahana Rintis Semantik Ayat Nasional) is Malaysia’s flagship initiative to build a comprehensive AI Bahasa Melayu ecosystem grounded in data sharing, linguistic resources, and collaborative innovation. As language becomes a strategic digital asset, WaRiSAN MELAYU brings together academia, government, industry, and cultural institutions to develop high-quality corpora, shared infrastructure, and governance frameworks that strengthen language sovereignty. This keynote will highlight how collaborative data ecosystems accelerate the development of Malay language models and enable cross-sector innovation in education, governance, cultural preservation, and digital services. It will address challenges in standardization, interoperability, and policy alignment while outlining Malaysia’s roadmap towards a sustainable, trusted, and inclusive AI Bahasa Melayu ecosystem. Through WaRiSAN MELAYU, Bahasa Melayu is positioned as a digitally empowered language that drives national competitiveness and regional leadership in the AI era.

Ms. Faryal Dotani
Senior Engineer
P&E Engineering Co.
United States.

Biography

Faryal’s journey began in a small town in northern Pakistan and led her to a bustling metropolitan city for her schooling. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar. While raising three children as a single mother, she completed a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering and began her career in academia, becoming the first female member of the teaching staff at UET. She ultimately served as an Associate Professor there, balancing the demands of teaching, research, and motherhood.

About twenty years ago, she moved to the United States to begin a new professional chapter, transitioning from academia to industry. Her career started in the field of Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems for buildings, which sparked her passion for sustainable design and green building practices. She quickly became dedicated to the principles of clean energy, energy conservation, and achieving net-zero carbon footprints. In line with this mission, she earned certification as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council and contributed to dozens of LEED-certified projects.

After more than a decade in the MEP field, she moved into renewable energy as a Senior Design Engineer in wind power. Today, she designs wind farms and works closely with transmission operators to integrate clean, renewable energy into the power grid, continuing a lifelong commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Title: The New Era of Engineering - Renewable, Sustainable & Green

Modern engineering faces increasingly greater challenges in achieving sustainability as power demands continue to rise. The focus needs to shift toward renewable, sustainable, and green principles, rather than concentrating solely on innovation in new products. As a team of Engineers in the U.S., we are creating solutions to protect the environment and conserve resources for future generations with more passion than ever. We design spaces with net-zero capabilities, sustainable energy sources, minimal pollution, and strong recycling practices to reduce carbon footprints. In collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), we are making it possible to achieve highly efficient buildings with LEED certifications, promoting a new standard for the future of construction. Currently, over 100,000 buildings are LEED certified, with more than 6,600 Platinum-certified projects globally. Prioritizing renewable and green solutions helps reduce carbon emissions by utilizing locally sourced materials, solar and wind energy, and geothermal systems integrated at both small and large scales. Energy-efficient equipment, occupant education seminars, smart control technologies, energy independence initiatives, improved natural lighting, and enhanced ventilation options are just a few of the steps being taken to reduce carbon footprints and promote a holistic approach to the building lifecycle.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Nana Rachmana Syambas
Professor
School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics,
Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB).

Biography

Nana Rachmana Syambas. He was graduated from his bachelor degree at Electrical Engineering Department, ITB in 1983. He got his Master by Research degree from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia in 1990 and doctoral degree from School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, ITB in 2011. He has been a lecturer at School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, ITB since 1984. His research interest includes: Telecommunication Networks, Telematic Services, Content Centric Network (CCN), Software Define Network (SDN), Protocol engineering and Tele-traffic engineering. He has authored or coauthored over 150 published articles.

Title: Future Network & Trend

Named Data Networking (NDN) is a forward-looking architecture for the Internet. Rather than relying on device addresses, NDN routes and caches data by name, enabling users to retrieve content from the closest or most efficient source. This paradigm reduces latency, improves throughput, and cuts packet loss by leveraging in-network caching and name-based forwarding. Data security comes inherently via cryptographic signatures on content, ensuring integrity regardless of path. Using simulations based on the Palapa Ring network, we observe that NDN consistently outperforms traditional IP-based models in delay, reliability, and resource utilization. Given its alignment with the requirements of 5G and 6G—especially ultra-low latency and scalability—NDN offers a promising path for future electrical engineering and information systems research.

PROF. DR. PATRICK THEN
Chief Executive Officer
Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC).

Biography

Prof. Patrick Then assumed the Chief Executive Officer of state-owned Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) since March 2025. SAIC aims to accelerate Sarawak economic growth by leveraging AI technologies. SAIC conducts high-impact research and development for Sarawak’s needs, and advises policymakers on AI governance, policy, audit, and talent development.

Before that, he led School of ICT as Head of School, Centre for Digital Futures as Director, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak. As SAIC CEO, he continues mentoring researchers and academics in academia. He has been recognized as eminent researcher in health informatics in the region collaborating with prominent cardiologists and clinicians in Clinical Research Centre Sarawak General Hospital in Malaysia and the National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia. He has published papers in high impact journals and proceedings. He is a strong advocate of transdisciplinary research where he translated artificial intelligence techniques into healthcare, manufacturing and other applications. He is a sought-after keynote speaker in IT and cardiology conferences in Europe, India, Indonesia and South Korea. He is the holder of multiple patents and software copyrights that have been translated into commercial product. He is a highly recognised digital health Key Opinion Leader by Ministry of Health Malaysia.

He is an elected fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, fellow of the Society for Design and Process Science USA, Senior member of Australian Computer Society, Senior member of IEEE, and Board member of Sarawak Development Institute.

Title: AI Revolution: Driving Innovation, Sustainability, and Growth

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it has become a practical tool that is transforming how businesses operate, compete, and grow. From automating routine processes to uncovering new market insights, AI offers unprecedented opportunities for efficiency, innovation, and value creation. The session will also address the challenges businesses face in adopting AI, including data readiness, skills development, and ethical considerations. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the strategic role AI can play in driving competitiveness and growth, as well as actionable insights on how to start or scale their AI journey.