MRANTI

MRANTI, the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation, is Malaysia's central agency for technology commercialisation, operating under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Formed in 2021 through the merger of Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) and the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MAGIC), MRANTI is tasked with accelerating the journey of research and ideas from laboratory to market. It plays an increasingly visible role in Malaysia's artificial intelligence ecosystem by hosting the companies, facilities, and testbeds through which emerging technologies are developed and validated.

Origins

The site MRANTI occupies has a long lineage in Malaysian science policy. Technology Park Malaysia was established in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur in 1995 to provide support services, infrastructure, and research and development capability for the growth of science and technology in the country. The 2021 consolidation of TPM with MAGIC created a single agency intended to reduce fragmentation and give innovators a clearer pathway from prototype to commercial product. Under MOSTI, MRANTI now functions as the national focal point for turning research outputs into economic value.

MRANTI Park

The agency's most tangible asset is MRANTI Park, a 686-acre campus in Bukit Jalil positioned as a hub for Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and a centre for technological innovation. The park hosts more than 150 technology companies and institutions and supports a community of over 30,000 knowledge workers. Its distinguishing feature is physical infrastructure for testing advanced technologies, including drone testing zones and dedicated lanes for autonomous vehicles, alongside prototyping and laboratory facilities.

A master plan launched in 2022 set out an ambitious redevelopment, with an estimated gross development value in the region of RM20 billion and projected returns from land leases. The intent is to grow the park into a global-calibre innovation district that co-locates startups, corporations, researchers, and public agencies.

Services and role in AI

MRANTI provides a spectrum of support designed to move technologies along the commercialisation pipeline. Its offerings include workshops, webinars, mentorship, networking, prototyping support, product validation, and assistance with market access. For AI startups and researchers specifically, the park's testbeds and living-lab environment allow systems such as autonomous vehicles, drones, smart-city sensors, and robotics to be trialled in controlled real-world conditions.

| Function | What MRANTI provides | | --- | --- | | Commercialisation | Pathways from R&D to market | | Infrastructure | 4IR testbeds, labs, drone and AV zones | | Ecosystem | Co-location of startups, corporates, agencies | | Capacity building | Mentorship, training, validation support |

Position in the national ecosystem

MRANTI sits alongside other pillars of Malaysia's technology landscape, including the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), MIMOS as the national applied research centre, and the National AI Office. Where MDEC drives digital economy and investment programmes and MIMOS conducts applied research, MRANTI focuses on the physical and commercial infrastructure of innovation, complementing rather than duplicating these bodies. Its concentration of tenants and testbeds makes it a natural home for deep-tech and AI ventures that need more than office space to reach the market.

MRANTI is a cornerstone of Malaysia's strategy to build a domestic technology and AI industry rather than relying solely on imported solutions. By concentrating startups, corporate research teams, and public agencies on a single Bukit Jalil campus, it creates the density of talent and facilities that early-stage deep-tech ventures need. This directly supports the goals of the Malaysia AI Roadmap and the MyDigital Blueprint, both of which call for stronger commercialisation of local research.

The park's 4IR testbeds are especially significant for AI. Autonomous vehicle lanes and drone testing zones let Malaysian companies validate perception, planning, and control systems in real conditions before deployment, an important capability given that AI applications in mobility and logistics must be proven safe under local regulations. This validation infrastructure complements the oversight roles of bodies such as the National AI Office and sector regulators.

MRANTI also connects to Malaysia's talent agenda. Its programmes, together with training funded by HRD Corp and initiatives from MDEC, help founders and engineers develop both technical and commercial skills. The campus hosts education providers and works with universities, reinforcing the pipeline from research to startup to scale-up.

For the broader Southeast Asian region, MRANTI positions Kuala Lumpur as a competitive location for innovation, alongside hubs such as Singapore and emerging centres in Thailand and Vietnam, and its large land bank and long-term master plan signal sustained public commitment to technology-led growth.

1. MRANTI. (2026). Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation. mranti.my.
2. The Edge Malaysia. (2022). First-of-its-kind technology park. theedgemalaysia.com.
3. The Malaysian Reserve. (2022). MRANTI opens IR4.0 playground in Bukit Jalil. themalaysianreserve.com.