KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Malaysia launched on Thursday a national artificial intelligence office aimed at shaping policies and addressing regulatory issues, as it looks to establish itself as a regional hub for AI development. The Southeast Asian country has secured billions of dollars in investment in the past year from global tech firms seeking to build critical infrastructure to cater to growing demand for their cloud and AI services.

"This is another historical moment in our digital transformation journey," Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said at the launch of the new office.

The office is expected to serve as a centralised agency for AI, providing strategic planning, research and development as well as regulatory oversight, among others, according to details published on its website.

It will pursue seven deliverables in its first year, including developing a code of ethics, an AI regulatory framework and a five-year AI technology action plan until 2030. The government on Thursday also announced strategic partnerships with six companies, including Amazon , Google and Microsoft , which have all announced data centre, cloud and AI projects in Malaysia in the past year.

Digital ventures have helped propel Malaysia's economy in 2024, with 71.1 billion ringgit ($16.06 billion) in approved investments in the information and communications sub-sector, the its investment authority said this week.

($1 = 4.4270 ringgit)

(Reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by Martin Petty) ((mailto:ashley.tang@thomsonreuters.com;))