Malaysia’s First Multimodal Large Language Model ILMU Launched by YTL AI Labs
Kuala Lumpur, 12 August 2025 – YTL AI Labs, in collaboration with Universiti Malaya, has officially launched ILMU, Malaysia’s first multimodal large language model (LLM), at the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025. The launch was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and marks a milestone in the country’s artificial intelligence development.
ILMU, short for Intelek Luhur Malaysia Untukmu, is designed and built entirely in Malaysia to address local needs while meeting global AI performance standards. The model is capable of processing and generating text, voice, and images, supporting applications across multiple industries. Its name reflects its guiding principles — “Intelek” for context-aware intelligence, “Luhur” for ethical foundations, “Malaysia” for cultural and linguistic fluency, and “Untukmu” to emphasise service to the people.
According to Minister of Digital YB Gobind Singh Deo, ILMU represents a step forward in Malaysia’s vision for technology-driven growth, inclusivity, and cultural preservation. Built with national data governance and security in mind, ILMU is hosted on YTL AI Cloud infrastructure, ensuring enterprise-grade performance, scalability, and local data residency.
Key features of ILMU include:
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Cultural and Linguistic Understanding – Fluent in Bahasa Melayu, Manglish, and local dialects such as Kelate, enabling natural interaction with Malaysian users.
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National Data Security – Developed with strong safety and governance frameworks to support trusted AI adoption.
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Local Hosting – Operated on Malaysian infrastructure for performance and compliance.
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Global-Level Performance – Comparable to leading models such as GPT-4o, DeepSeek, and Llama 3.1 in major benchmarks.
ILMU has achieved top scores in MalayMMLU (Malay language multi-domain knowledge) and strong results in Arena Hard Auto and IFEval benchmarks, performing on par with global leaders in complex instruction-following tasks.
Dato’ Seri Yeoh Seok Hong, Managing Director of YTL Power International Berhad, stated that ILMU is intended to empower Malaysians with accessible and culturally relevant AI solutions, enabling smarter systems and boosting productivity across public and private sectors.
To encourage adoption, YTL AI Labs announced the ILMU AI Accelerator Programme in partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Benefits for participating companies include:
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Malaysia Digital (MD) Status with related incentives
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Facilitation of talent passes, work permits, and visas
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RM5 million in free ILMU API credits
The programme is open to Malaysian startups, SMEs, and global companies developing AI products and services with ILMU for both local and international markets.
YTL AI Labs has already partnered with organisations including Aco Tech, Ryt Bank, Astro, Media Prima, Yes, Carsome, Swipey, Vision Machina, Vistel, TeeniAI, TrustAI, and Mesolitica. API access is now available for businesses, while ILMUchat, a consumer-facing AI chatbot, will launch in early access on Malaysia Day, 16 September 2025. Interested users can register at https://www.ilmu.ai/.
