Smart AI Cities Asia 2026
Building Smart Cities with AI for a Sustainable Future
Overview
The 12th Smart AI Cities Asia 2026 builds on more than a decade of regional impact as one of Asia’s premier platform for city leaders, policymakers, technologists, AI innovators, and urban visionaries to collaborate, exchange ideas, and accelerate the evolution of future-ready cities. As Malaysia advances the Malaysia Smart City Framework, the aspirations of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13), and the national transition from Smart Cities to AI Cities, this platform has never been more important. Under the theme “Building Smart Cities with AI for a Sustainable Future,” The 12th Smart AI Cities Asia 2026 will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping urban governance, infrastructure, mobility, sustainability, public services, cybersecurity, and climate resilience, while driving the development of intelligent, trusted, and people-centric urban ecosystems that empower governments, industries, and communities to build smarter, safer, and more sustainable cities for the future.
Registration
Registration for 12th Smart AI Cities Asia 2026
Panel Discussion
Mobility Without Drivers – Scaling AI for Autonomous, Connected and Intelligent Mobility
From autonomous transport and intelligent traffic systems to connected infrastructure and AI-powered logistics, this session explores how AI, automation and predictive technologies are enabling the next generation of urban mobility and how cities can move from pilots to reliable, connected and intelligent mobility systems.
Moderator
Aishah Daniyal
Co-Founder, Malaysia Zero Emission Vehicle Association (MyZEVA), Malaysia
Panellists
Freddy Loo
Head of AI, Pos Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia
Dr. Chua Wen-Shyan
Head of Malaysian Smart Factory 4.0, Selangor Human Resource Development Centre, Malaysia
Satpal Singh
Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, PLUS Malaysia
Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
Speaker
Selva Nagappan
Organising Chairman, 12th Smart AI Cities Asia 2026 and Managing Director, Knowledge Group of Companies
Presentation
AI for Disaster Resilience: Preparing Cities for a More Uncertain Future
AI can help cities better anticipate, prepare for and respond to disasters. This session explores how predictive analytics, early warning systems and real-time data can strengthen disaster preparedness, emergency coordination and urban resilience.
Speaker
Leftenan Kolonel (PA) Dr. Ajantha Segarmurthy
Deputy Director, Operation Coordination Section, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Malaysia
Break
Morning Refreshment
Panel Discussion
The Predictive City – How AI is Transforming How Cities Think, Learn and Respond
Cities are evolving from reactive management to predictive action. This session examines how machine learning, digital twins, and Agentic AI are transforming city operations and decision-making.
Moderator
Hazmi Yusof
Country Head, Frost & Sullivan, Malaysia
Panellists
Prof. Da Sheng Lee
Director, Taipei Smart City Project Management Office, Taiwan
Dr. Jianquan Liu
Senior Director, NEC Laboratories Asia Pacific (NLAP), NEC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Gaddafi Musli
Chief Executive Officer, Smart Selangor Delivery Unit (SSDU), Malaysia
Presentation
The Climate-Proof Metropolis: Monetising Resilience in Southeast Asia’s Next Urban Frontier
The session examines how Southeast Asian cities can turn climate adaptation into scalable investment opportunities by mobilising public-private financing for resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions and innovative risk-sharing models.
Speaker
Dr. Stephen Poon
Council Member, Malaysia Green Building Council, Malaysia
Presentation
Smart but Secure: Engaging Video Analytics and Generative AI
From visible to invisible to generative intelligence, multimodal AI transforms real-world sensing into smarter, safer, privacy-aware, and human-centered intelligence for the smart cities of tomorrow.
Speaker
Dr. Jianquan Liu
Senior Director, NEC Laboratories Asia Pacific (NLAP), NEC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Break
Networking Luncheon
Panel Discussion
Powering the AI City – Smart Grids, Virtual Power Plants and Malaysia's Renewable Transition
AI cities consume enormous amounts of energy. Data centres alone are reshaping national grid planning. This session addresses the other side of that equation: how AI-optimised smart grids, demand response systems, virtual power plants and urban microgrids are turning cities from energy consumers into energy managers.
Moderator
Ts. Syed Saggaf Syed Ahmad
Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Energies Industries Council (EIC), Malaysia
Panellists
Ts. Dr. Ahmad Khalid Md Khairi
Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, UZMA Berhad, Malaysia
Ts. Mohd Hafizam Mustaffa
Chief Executive Officer, MCORP Technology, Malaysia
Ir. Ts. Justin Sim (D.S.M.)
President, Malaysian Photovoltaic and Sustainable Energy Industry Association (MPSEA), Malaysia
Panel Discussion
AI Cities – Designed for People or Designed on PowerPoint?
The session explores the gap between smart city visions and ground-level delivery, challenging whether Malaysia is importing Western TOD models that ignore local climate, culture, and community realities. The forum debates equity, participation, and what “people-first” urban AI actually means in Malaysia.
Moderator
Pathmanathan Muniandy
Committee Member, Malaysia Smart Cities Alliance Association (MSCA), Malaysia
Panellists
Mohd Musabri Shaharom
Director ICT Division Corporate Service Department, Perbadanan Putrajaya Malaysia
Datin TPr Noraida Saludin
Senior Director and Head of Strategic Planning, AJM-Planning and Urban Design Group, Malaysia
Md Fauzan Elham
Chief Executive Officer, SIC Digital, Malaysia
Presentation
Physical AI and Harness Engineering for a Smart City: Not Only Predictable but Also Controllable
Building on successful AI and IoT initiatives, Taipei is transforming into a Physical AI city where digital twins and Agentic AI enable predictive, governable, and real-world urban decision-making.
Speaker
Prof. Da Sheng Lee
Director, Taipei Smart City Project Management Office, Taiwan
Panel Discussion
Will AI Cities Create Smarter Communities or Deepen Inequality?
As cities become smarter, who truly benefits? This discussion challenges whether AI-driven urban transformation will empower communities and improve equity, or it will deepen digital divides, exclusion, and uneven access to opportunity.
Moderator
Ingo Schmittmann
Managing Director, Stanton Chase Malaysia
Panellists
Ritzwan Rosli Mohd Rosli
Chief Executive Officer, SMARTSEL, Malaysia
Raymond Siva
Advisor, Digital Strategy and Future Tech Investment, Malaysia