MyDIGITAL Corporation and Pepper Labs are teaming up to expand inclusive AI learning across Malaysia, combining the national reach of Rakyat Digital, the country’s Digital Learning Hub, with Dapur Digital’s community-based network to help more Malaysians understand, use, and benefit from AI.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchanged at the AI-Ready Malaysia Summit 2026 on August 1, structured as a Public-Private-Community Partnership. Under the arrangement, MyDIGITAL Corporation handles national coordination, structured learning pathways, and digital access, while Pepper Labs contributes trusted community reach and on-the-ground delivery experience within Program Perumahan Rakyat communities.
The collaboration ties into Malaysia’s Towards an AI Nation 2030 agenda under the 13th Malaysia Plan, the Malaysia Digital 2030 Action Plan, and the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030, contributing to national goals around building future-ready talent and helping more Malaysians participate confidently in the digital economy.
Rakyat Digital, an initiative under the Ministry of Digital implemented by MyDIGITAL Corporation, runs on what it calls a 3A approach, covering Awareness, Access, and Adoption, aimed at helping Malaysians build foundational digital and AI understanding, connect with learning opportunities and certifications, and apply digital tools practically.
Spoken to the media by CEO of MyDIGITAL Corporation, Adrian Marcellus, he mentioned Malaysia’s AI Nation ambition depends less on the technology itself and more on whether people can use it confidently and responsibly to improve their lives and livelihoods. He described the partnership as connecting Rakyat Digital’s national scale with Dapur Digital’s community reach, turning awareness into access and access into real adoption, particularly for communities that online learning alone might not reach.
Dapur Digital is a community entrepreneurship initiative run by Pepper Labs, works by converting underutilized spaces in PPR communities into economic and learning hubs, offering training, shared facilities, market access, and digital capability building, primarily supporting women micro-entrepreneurs and local communities looking to build more sustainable businesses.
Through this collaboration, the community model reinforces each stage of the 3A framework, building awareness through guided learning and local engagement, expanding access by connecting participants to Rakyat Digital’s courses and certifications, and supporting adoption by helping micro-entrepreneurs find practical ways to use digital and AI tools in their operations. Combining online learning with in-person support is meant to meet people where they are and create a clearer path from learning to actual use, while offering a model that could be repeated for other national digital initiatives.
The partnership also feeds into broader AI upskilling work under Pepper Labs’ AI-Ready Malaysia initiative, with select programmes expected to appear on Rakyat Digital’s Digital Skills Hub. That initiative is backed by the AI Opportunity Fund for Asia-Pacific, implemented by AVPN with support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank, and aims to strengthen AI capabilities for up to 50,000 Malaysians, including MSMEs, university students, and educators.
Framing the collaboration within Malaysia’s broader AI Nation ambitions, both organizations describe inclusion as central to the effort, ensuring people and businesses across different backgrounds can participate in and benefit from the country’s AI development rather than being left behind as the digital economy grows.
Malaysians interested in building their digital and AI skills are encouraged to explore the learning opportunities available through Rakyat Digital, including complimentary access to select Coursera courses.
