Penang has taken another step in the Silicon Island project, with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow making his first vehicular visit to the man-made island and launching the Silicon Island Experience Centre.
Chow said the development was not simply another reclamation project but a strategic mover for the state’s economic growth over the next 50 years, building on Penang’s five decades in the semiconductor industry by opening room for high-value manufacturing, research and development, and artificial intelligence, as NST reported.
Penang Infrastructure Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus said the 2,500sq ft facility was completed in four months at a cost of RM2.5 million. It holds an LED scale model run from an iPad, giving interactive views of the 920ha master plan, including infrastructure networks, 160.8ha of green spaces and marine conservation zones.
Farizan said physical land reclamation at the site had reached 200ha, about 500 acres. Work on the RM420 million Pan Island Link 2A (PIL2A) contract was progressing smoothly, with the first phase carrying a 1.5km marine bridge whose first section is due to open by December 2028, ahead of full completion in June 2029. More than RM30 million had been paid out to local fishermen under the Social Impact Management Plan, along with ecological mitigation projects.
State infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the centre closes the gap between the master plan and what is being built on the ground. He pointed to the PIL2A bridge, which links Permatang Damar Laut directly to Silicon Island and is meant to keep logistics and transport moving. The state is also planning low-carbon transport networks, smart traffic systems, cycle and pedestrian lanes, and digital networks built to keep working under strain.
Reclamation began in September 2023, and 500 acres had been reclaimed as of this month, according to Buletin Mutiara, the Penang government’s news portal. Chow said the 2,300-acre development would hold a 700-acre Green Tech Park, more than 110km of cycling and pedestrian paths, and 402 acres of green spaces, coastal parks and marine conservation zones. The island carries five-diamond accreditation under the Low Carbon Cities framework and aims to cut carbon emissions by 45% against conventional urban development. Chow said the project had met environmental, social and legal challenges along the way, and that the state stayed behind it for the benefits it promised Penang and the country.
More than 220,000 jobs are expected across high-tech industries, the creative economy and modern services. Support for fishermen has included ex-gratia payments, boats and engines, and better fishing facilities. Ecological measures include placing artificial reefs, releasing fish and prawns, and a tree-planting programme that targets 200,000 mangrove and other suitable trees by 2030.
Also present were state executive councillors Rashidi Zinol, Wong Hon Wai and Goh Choon Aik, and Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Szeto Wai Loong.
