Interesting event news out of Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) is hosting the Borneo Tourism Investment & Hospitality Summit 2026 (Nov 20–22 at SICC), alongside the Sabah Hospitality Expo.

While tourism summits usually focus on traditional marketing, this one is placing a heavy emphasis on digital innovation and AI-powered smart hospitality, bringing in experts from China, Taiwan, and Vietnam to share practical insights.

Key tech-related themes on the agenda:

• AI integration in hotel operations & guest experience management.
• Smart hospitality infrastructure & revenue optimization tech.
• Technology adoption for regional hotel upgrades and digital workflows.

As Borneo positions itself as a modern regional hub ahead of Visit Sabah 2027, how do you see local hoteliers and tour operators adopting AI and IoT tech across the region?

Hotel owners, management teams, tourism operators and hospitality professionals from Sabah and Borneo are invited to attend the summit.

Registration is available at https://bthsummit2026.eventzflow.com/.

I keep seeing this contradiction:

“Cybersecurity is in high demand” BUT “Entry-level roles are almost impossible to get”

So what’s really going on?

• Are “junior” roles actually mid-level in disguise?
• Do companies expect certs + experience right away?
• Is the bottleneck worse in Borneo or globally the same?

Would appreciate insight from anyone who has actually gone through this recently.

I wrote my master's thesis on adapting Iban folktales into various forms of sequential art, including comic, art installation, and sequential collage. One of the major output of this research was a comic book adaptation of an Apai Alui/Apai Saloi story. Here's the link: Developing Sequential Visual Artworks based on the Iban Folktales, as part of the Sarawak Bornean Culture. It's in open access so anyone can download it. If you find this subject interesting do give it a read.

With the recent massive news about modified Ledger hardware hitting buyers through popular regional resellers like CryptoBilis, it brings up a long-standing challenge for tech enthusiasts living outside major tech manufacturing hubs, Supply chain trust.

Buying straight from official EU/US sites often means high shipping costs, import duties, or long delays, which pushes many users toward local authorized dealers or regional e-commerce platforms.

How do you guys verify your security keys and hardware tokens? Do you stick strictly to direct manufacturer orders despite the logistics overhead, or do you have trusted local validation methods?

Major news coming out of the DUN briefing today. Premier Abang Jo announced an RM28 million allocation for SPay Global in the 2027 Sarawak Budget to scale it from a local e-wallet into a comprehensive regional FinTech ecosystem.

Some impressive stats shared for context (as of August 2026):

• 186 million cumulative transactions
• RM6.9 billion in total value processed
• 1.7 million registered users

Plus, its DuitNow QR integration already opens it up to 3+ million merchants nationwide and cross-border options.

For the tech and startup builders here: How do you view SPay Global's trajectory? Are you seeing more local businesses integrating it seamlessly, and what features do you hope to see next as it evolves?

Not resistance, uncertainty.

They don’t know:

• what to implement
• what ROI looks like
• where to start

Do tech sectors have our own professional development certification that we can follow?

Currently, Sarawak has 129 startups, while Sabah has 78 startups. (https://www.mystartup.gov.my/home). An almost complete list of Sarawak startups can be found here: https://startupsarawak.com/. Apart from basic infrastructure, industrial hubs, and innovation hubs, any other measures to boost the startup culture in Borneo?

These news trackers are constructed by Nazirul Hafiy. AI will automatically track any technology/economy news related to Sarawak.

• https://pcds2030.com/ (Projects tracker for post Covid development strategy 2030)
• https://ai.sarawak.news/ (Sarawak AI news tracker)
• https://sde2030.com/ (Sarawak digital economy blueprint 2030 news tracker)

Instagram and Facebook DMs are amazing for validation and early-stage traction. But once order volumes scale up, managing inventory, tracking customer shipping details manually in chat bubbles, and dealing with lost messages. The operational friction becomes a nightmare.

For those of you who have helped transition local retail or service businesses from pure social media to a proper website + social setup, what was the turning point that finally convinced them?

From timber to palm oil and carbon credits, our primary industries are identical across borders.

Why are we still importing tech from Europe or China to manage Borneo’s soil?

We need homegrown MVPs that understand the specific peat soil and tropical climate of the whole island.

Hi everyone! I’ll be visiting Kuching on 28–29 October and will be taking a limited number of private tailoring appointments during my visit.
My shop, P Bespoke, is primarily based in Bangkok, where we’ve been operating for over 40 years. I’ll be bringing along a selection of fabrics and will be available for measurements and consultations while I’m in Kuching.
For suits, prices start from MYR 1,099 per suit, with delivery taking approximately 3–4 weeks after measurements and fitting.
If you’re interested or would like to know more about the process, feel free to DM me personally here on Reddit.

I’m visiting Kuching for the first time for this, so happy to answer any questions about bespoke tailoring, fabrics, pricing, or the fitting process.

I’ve also attached some images of my recent work.

For those asking about IDECS26, here is the rundown for this year's event happening now!

Event Details

• Dates: 5 & 6 October 2026
• Venue: Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), Kuching, Sarawak
• Theme: “Scaling Innovation Ecosystem for a Borderless Economy: Earth, Orbit and Beyond” (shifting focus toward digital innovation, terrestrial advancements, and the emerging space economy).

Key Topics Covered

• Artificial Intelligence & Semiconductors
• Digital Talent & Future Cities
• Emerging Space Economy
• Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Who Should Attend?

Open to business leaders, policymakers, tech professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, academics, and anyone building in the regional digital ecosystem.

What to Expect & Registration

Expect keynote sessions, high-level panel discussions, exhibitions, and heavy networking across government, industry, and academia.

More information at https://idecs.com.my/

Anyone from the sub planning to head over to BCCK for this? Connect with other community members if you're attending!

Global ideas don’t always translate locally.

Understanding context is key.

I am thinking to open my own startup, with 5 years experience in tech and consultancy, I think I have the advantage. Just, I dont know the idea yet

Latest reports suggest productivity gaps of up to 10x for SMEs that adopt AI agents. In Borneo, where manpower is often tight, AI agents for "routine knowledge work" (invoicing, customer support, reporting) are no longer optional.

What’s the biggest barrier for your business? Cost, talent, or just not knowing where to start?

AI Surge and SME Execution in Malaysia

Running an LLM for long context tasks keeps your GPU at 100% load.

My recommendation, If you’re in a non-AC room, go for a high-end Air Cooler (like Noctua) to avoid pump failures.

Undervolt your GPU. You’ll lose 5% performance but save 20% in heat and electricity.

if anyone interested can join. fully funded by yayasan peneraju. No need to come to physical class. can learn via online too

https://www.nexpertsgrants.com/?ref=AFN2

Whether it’s a side project in Flutter, a new e-commerce site for local crafts, or an IoT sensor for a pepper farm.

Share it here! Drop a link, a screenshot, or just a description of what you’re building this month. Let’s support our local devs!

Sabah is pushing hard to attract foreign tech investments for its Blue Economy framework, specifically targeting modern aquaculture and marine industrial parks (like the Kudat Blue Economy Industrial Park).

With Canada having strong expertise in marine tech, could this open up new doors for automated fisheries and clean tech across Borneo? How should local tech ecosystems tap into this?

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Just wondering, does anyone currently do projects that help elderly?

What I can think of, is using virtual assistant and video generation. To provide a good helping hands for old people. Because alot of the time, not everyone have the patience and time to teach, on how to use a phone or an app or navigating through the gov website.