SGI Looks At R&D in Malaysia

Nov 22 1999(MSC Times) - Silicon Graphics Sdn Bhd (SGI) will bring some chief scientists from its US corporate headquarters to brainstorm with Malaysian academics on ideas for research and development projects, reports The Star newspaper.

According to SGI country manager, Eric Lee, this is just part of the company's commitment to IT development in Malaysia.

SGI chairman Bob Bishop is also one of the original members of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) which advises the Malaysian Government on the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project.

The Mountain View, California-based company would also be working alongside the Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU) to establish a joint Centre of Excellence, Lee said to The Star.

The partnership will have SGI providing the tools and some of its expertise, while MMU (formerly known as University Telekom or Unitele) is supposed to produce the local talent and skill sets for the project.

Currently, MMU is involved in several projects with other local bodies in the immersive technology arena. Immersive technology is the use of computer generated graphics to create an artificial environment that totally surrounds and interacts with the user. It can be used in architecture, telemedicine, plant design and engineering. A large portion of work to be done at MMU will centre on improving immersive technology and collaborative design locally.

Among the projects underway are the remodelling of the city of Kuala Lumpur and designing a theme park in Perak.

According to SGI's Lee, other programmes of this nature are also in the pipeline, but he declined to name the universities involved as the agreements had yet to be formalised.

However, he mentioned that two new centres of excellence are to be developed, one for manufacturing and the other for the oil and gas industry reports The Star