Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
12 August 2026
12 August 2026
Back to News
Here in Sarawak, we are at the starting point of the global AI-era core materials supply chain, as we scale our manufacturing capabilities, workforce and investment to support the next generation of advanced technologies.
Here in Sarawak, we are at the starting point of the global AI-era core materials supply chain, as we scale our manufacturing capabilities, workforce and investment to support the next generation of advanced technologies.
Here in Sarawak, we are at the starting point of the global AI-era core materials supply chain, as we scale our manufacturing capabilities, workforce and investment to support the next generation of advanced technologies.
Our Chairman & CEO Lee WooHyun shared this vision at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Clean Technology (ICSEIE-CT 2026) in Kuala Lumpur recently, where he spoke about OCI’s sustainable growth journey and how we are positioning our businesses for the rapidly evolving AI era. The rapid growth of AI is creating demand on two fronts- the clean and reliable energy needed to power increasingly energy-intensive data centres and the advanced materials required for the next generation of computing. Across OCI, we are positioning ourselves at both ends of this AI infrastructure cycle. In the United States, OCI Energy is developing utility-scale solar and battery energy storage to meet growing power demand. At the upstream end, our operations in Malaysia are building capabilities in ultra-high-purity semiconductor materials. For us at OCI TerraSus, this places Sarawak in an important position in OCI’s next phase of growth. We have invested approximately RM10 billion in Sarawak since our establishment in 2017. Looking towards 2030, we plan to scale our annual polysilicon capacity to 70,000 MT and grow our workforce to 2,000 skilled Malaysian employees. Our location also gives us an important sustainability advantage. With more than 70% of our power mix coming from clean hydropower, our polysilicon is among the lowest-carbon in the world, while our established manufacturing platform and proximity to Asia-Pacific semiconductor customers provide a strong foundation for future growth. This is how we are moving from the solar era to the AI era. An important part of this transition is OCI-Tokuyama Semiconductor Materials (OTSM), our 50:50 joint venture with Tokuyama Corporation. Currently being developed in Samalaju, OTSM will have an annual capacity of 8,400 metric tonnes of ultra-high-purity semiconductor-grade polysilicon. Targeted for commercial operations in Q3 2027, the facility is purpose-built for advanced semiconductor and silicon photonics applications. As AI computing becomes more powerful, traditional copper-based interconnects face limitations in power consumption, bandwidth and data transmission. The industry is increasingly moving towards silicon photonics, which uses light to move data more efficiently. At the origin of this technology is ultra-high-purity polysilicon. The purity and uniformity required are extremely demanding, and only a small number of producers globally can meet these specifications. This positions our semiconductor materials business at a strategically important point in the emerging AI supply chain. Our journey in Sarawak started with polysilicon for the solar industry. Today, the capabilities we have built — our manufacturing experience, skilled workforce and access to low-carbon hydropower — are opening the door to a new generation of advanced materials. As our Chairman highlighted, we are building the starting point of the AI-era core materials supply chain here in Malaysia for a global industry. For us, this is our next chapter- Powered by hydropower, built in Sarawak and positioned for the AI era.
Our Chairman & CEO Lee WooHyun shared this vision at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Clean Technology (ICSEIE-CT 2026) in Kuala Lumpur recently, where he spoke about OCI’s sustainable growth journey and how we are positioning our businesses for the rapidly evolving AI era. The rapid growth of AI is creating demand on two fronts- the clean and reliable energy needed to power increasingly energy-intensive data centres and the advanced materials required for the next generation of computing. Across OCI, we are positioning ourselves at both ends of this AI infrastructure cycle. In the United States, OCI Energy is developing utility-scale solar and battery energy storage to meet growing power demand. At the upstream end, our operations in Malaysia are building capabilities in ultra-high-purity semiconductor materials. For us at OCI TerraSus, this places Sarawak in an important position in OCI’s next phase of growth. We have invested approximately RM10 billion in Sarawak since our establishment in 2017. Looking towards 2030, we plan to scale our annual polysilicon capacity to 70,000 MT and grow our workforce to 2,000 skilled Malaysian employees. Our location also gives us an important sustainability advantage. With more than 70% of our power mix coming from clean hydropower, our polysilicon is among the lowest-carbon in the world, while our established manufacturing platform and proximity to Asia-Pacific semiconductor customers provide a strong foundation for future growth. This is how we are moving from the solar era to the AI era. An important part of this transition is OCI-Tokuyama Semiconductor Materials (OTSM), our 50:50 joint venture with Tokuyama Corporation. Currently being developed in Samalaju, OTSM will have an annual capacity of 8,400 metric tonnes of ultra-high-purity semiconductor-grade polysilicon. Targeted for commercial operations in Q3 2027, the facility is purpose-built for advanced semiconductor and silicon photonics applications. As AI computing becomes more powerful, traditional copper-based interconnects face limitations in power consumption, bandwidth and data transmission. The industry is increasingly moving towards silicon photonics, which uses light to move data more efficiently. At the origin of this technology is ultra-high-purity polysilicon. The purity and uniformity required are extremely demanding, and only a small number of producers globally can meet these specifications. This positions our semiconductor materials business at a strategically important point in the emerging AI supply chain. Our journey in Sarawak started with polysilicon for the solar industry. Today, the capabilities we have built — our manufacturing experience, skilled workforce and access to low-carbon hydropower — are opening the door to a new generation of advanced materials. As our Chairman highlighted, we are building the starting point of the AI-era core materials supply chain here in Malaysia for a global industry. For us, this is our next chapter- Powered by hydropower, built in Sarawak and positioned for the AI era.
Our Chairman & CEO Lee WooHyun shared this vision at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Clean Technology (ICSEIE-CT 2026) in Kuala Lumpur recently, where he spoke about OCI’s sustainable growth journey and how we are positioning our businesses for the rapidly evolving AI era. The rapid growth of AI is creating demand on two fronts- the clean and reliable energy needed to power increasingly energy-intensive data centres and the advanced materials required for the next generation of computing. Across OCI, we are positioning ourselves at both ends of this AI infrastructure cycle. In the United States, OCI Energy is developing utility-scale solar and battery energy storage to meet growing power demand. At the upstream end, our operations in Malaysia are building capabilities in ultra-high-purity semiconductor materials. For us at OCI TerraSus, this places Sarawak in an important position in OCI’s next phase of growth. We have invested approximately RM10 billion in Sarawak since our establishment in 2017. Looking towards 2030, we plan to scale our annual polysilicon capacity to 70,000 MT and grow our workforce to 2,000 skilled Malaysian employees. Our location also gives us an important sustainability advantage. With more than 70% of our power mix coming from clean hydropower, our polysilicon is among the lowest-carbon in the world, while our established manufacturing platform and proximity to Asia-Pacific semiconductor customers provide a strong foundation for future growth. This is how we are moving from the solar era to the AI era. An important part of this transition is OCI-Tokuyama Semiconductor Materials (OTSM), our 50:50 joint venture with Tokuyama Corporation. Currently being developed in Samalaju, OTSM will have an annual capacity of 8,400 metric tonnes of ultra-high-purity semiconductor-grade polysilicon. Targeted for commercial operations in Q3 2027, the facility is purpose-built for advanced semiconductor and silicon photonics applications. As AI computing becomes more powerful, traditional copper-based interconnects face limitations in power consumption, bandwidth and data transmission. The industry is increasingly moving towards silicon photonics, which uses light to move data more efficiently. At the origin of this technology is ultra-high-purity polysilicon. The purity and uniformity required are extremely demanding, and only a small number of producers globally can meet these specifications. This positions our semiconductor materials business at a strategically important point in the emerging AI supply chain. Our journey in Sarawak started with polysilicon for the solar industry. Today, the capabilities we have built — our manufacturing experience, skilled workforce and access to low-carbon hydropower — are opening the door to a new generation of advanced materials. As our Chairman highlighted, we are building the starting point of the AI-era core materials supply chain here in Malaysia for a global industry. For us, this is our next chapter- Powered by hydropower, built in Sarawak and positioned for the AI era.
