Professor Ir Dr Siva Kumar Sivanesan, Head of the School of Engineering (SoE) at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), participated as an invited panellist at the AiSEM@Selangor 2026 Semiconductor Summit to address Malaysia’s semiconductor talent gap, outlining five strategic pillars to elevate engineering education, emphasising theoretical application through failure analysis, AI integration, international industry-academic partnerships, educator industrial attachments, and an industry-driven talent ecosystem to help position Malaysia as a globally competitive semiconductor hub.

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Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) solidified its position at the forefront of engineering education as Professor Ir Dr Siva Kumar Sivanesan, Head School of Engineering (SoE), featured as an invited panellist at the inaugural Selangor AI & Semiconductor Summit (AiSEM@Selangor 2026).

AiSEM@Selangor 2026 was organised by the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) in co-organisation with the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (ASEM).

Rejuvenating the former Smart City and Digital Economy Convention, the summit was established as a premier platform focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductors. 

It convened industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers involved in key initiatives like the Malaysia Semiconductor Accelerator and IC Design Park to address digital transformation and the talent required for Malaysia’s chip-first economy

Participating in the high-level session titled ‘Closing the Global Chip Talent Gap: Powering a Chip-First Economy’, Professor Ir Dr Siva Kumar joined distinguished leaders from academia and industry to address the urgent need for high-calibre talent in Malaysia’s expanding semiconductor ecosystem.

The panel brought together prominent experts, including Ms Angel Low, General Manager of the Advanced Semiconductor Academy (ASEM); Mr Madhav Narayan, CEO and Director of the IIT Madras Global Research Foundation; and Professor Dr Wan Fazlida Hanim from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). 

Moderated by Mr Madhavan Nair of TalentCorp Malaysia, the dialogue facilitated an impactful exchange on strategies for developing, attracting, and retaining world-class semiconductor professionals.

During the summit, Professor Siva Kumar articulated five strategic pillars essential for transforming Malaysia’s semiconductor talent pipeline. 

He emphasised that the primary challenge facing higher education lies in bridging theoretical engineering knowledge with practical industrial applications. 

Citing semiconductor failure analysis as a prime example, he noted that mastering simulation, experimental validation, root-cause investigation, and sound engineering judgement served as the true benchmarks of graduate readiness.

Turning to modern technological integration, Professor Siva Kumar advocated for multidisciplinary projects that seamlessly combine electronics, software, and artificial intelligence, such as AI-powered semiconductor defect detection systems. 

He stressed that genuine engineering competence extended far beyond building functional prototypes, requiring students to demonstrate independent verification, systematic troubleshooting, critical thinking, and full accountability for technical decisions.

Professor Siva Kumar also highlighted the necessity of structured international university–industry collaborations involving overseas academic institutions, local semiconductor enterprises, and APU. 

He argued that such partnerships should focus on real-world engineering projects, shared supervision, access to specialised facilities, and active knowledge transfer to establish sustainable technical capabilities within Malaysia.

To ensure that educators themselves remained at the cutting edge, Professor Siva Kumar proposed stronger academia–industry engagement through structured industrial attachments, joint project supervision, and the direct involvement of industry practitioners in classroom teaching. 

He explained that these initiatives enabled lecturers to continuously refresh their technical competencies and translate current industrial practices into meaningful learning experiences for their students.

Finally, Professor Siva Kumar called for a robust, industry-driven talent development ecosystem where universities, semiconductor employers, and government agencies jointly designed and evaluated competencies. 

He insisted on measurable outcomes, advocating for a model in which graduates demonstrated their practical engineering capabilities through industry-validated projects.

Professor Siva Kumar was officially recognised in the prestigious World’s Top 2% Scientists list, compiled annually by Stanford University in collaboration with Elsevier’s Scopus Database. 

This globally acclaimed milestone highlighted his exceptional research impact and standing within the international scientific community. 

Through his contributions at the summit, Professor Siva Kumar reaffirmed APU’s unwavering commitment to shaping future-ready engineers equipped with solid technical foundations, digital competencies, and international industry exposure. 

His active participation underscored APU’s broader vision of serving not merely as an educational provider, but as a strategic catalyst in advancing Malaysia’s ambition to become a globally competitive semiconductor hub