Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow is leading an eight-day investment and trade mission to the United States, with the delegation setting out on 28 September and returning on 5 October. The trip, organised by InvestPenang, will take the delegation to the corporate headquarters of American companies that already run operations in Penang, according to NST.
The Chief Minister’s Office said the mission has a set of clear tasks. It aims to renew existing relationships with those American headquarters, push the firms to expand their Penang sites, and draw fresh investment into the state. The delegation will also update the companies on developments in Penang, covering the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ project, the Penang ATE Campus, infrastructure upgrades and policy changes meant to make investing in the state simpler.
Several sectors sit at the top of the state’s list for the trip. Semiconductors lead them, with integrated circuit design, advanced packaging and equipment manufacturing named alongside medical devices and global business services, Malay Mail noted. The state wants both expansion from firms already in Penang and new arrivals.
Chow and the InvestPenang delegates will attend a run of high-level meetings and site visits across the week. The Chief Minister’s Office said those sessions give Penang a stage to set out its record on innovation, its competitiveness and its long-term plans as a place to invest.
The mission repeats a pattern the state has used before. In August 2024, Chow and the InvestPenang delegation spent 10 days in the United States and joined 22 official meetings and site visits, starting with four days in San Jose before travelling to Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles, the Chief Minister’s Office said at the time. Penang Silicon Design @5km+ was presented on that trip as a hub in Bayan Lepas for integrated circuit design startups.
On that visit, the delegation called on companies including AMD, Synopsys, Western Digital and Agilent, alongside equipment makers and design firms. The office said the discussions covered the spread of artificial intelligence across industries, the state’s renewable energy needs and the demand for workers with advanced skills. American companies already operate in Penang across these sectors, and the mission travels to their headquarters to make the case in person.
Chow has said he wants the current trip to strengthen the state’s ties with American investors and bring economic gains back to Penang. The Chief Minister’s Office said the week will carry both goals: expansion by firms already in the state, and new capital from investors it does not yet have.
