@Green January/February 2026 | Page 23

DIGITAL
January-February. 2026 | @ green

DIGITAL

23

Cloud without borders

� ASEAN endorsed a regional framework to enable secure cross-border cloud data flows.

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations( ASEAN) has endorsed a regional framework aimed at strengthening crossborder cloud computing, marking a step towards more seamless and trusted data flows across Southeast Asia.

The initiative, led by Malaysia’ s Ministry of Digital through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation( MDEC), was approved at the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The framework sets out common principles to guide the legal and regulatory governance of cloud computing across member States. Its aim is to enable cross-border data hosting while enhancing safeguards to protect sensitive information.
As digital trade expands across the region,
� Common governance principles aim to reduce regulatory fragmentation and compliance risks.
“ Harmonising regulations across ASEAN could help reduce regulatory fragmentation, lower compliance risks, and unlock new opportunities for investment and innovation."
clearer standards are increasingly seen as essential to reduce uncertainty for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo stated that the framework improved regulatory clarity and bolstered data governance
� India’ s digital scale positions it as a key market in Meta’ s global strategy.
Gobind Singh Deo
Anuar Fariz Fadzil standards, establishing a foundation for secure digital growth.
He noted:” Aligning protection measures with business innovation needs will help maintain investor confidence and support cross-border digital commerce within ASEAN’ s rapidly developing digital economy.”
Among its core components are shared principles for managing cloud-stored data, including safeguards covering data at rest and in transit. The framework also establishes clearer rules on regulatory access to information, aligns with recognised international standards, and introduces Trusted Data Corridors( TDC) to enable secure transfers between participating countries.
Guidance is provided for highly regulated sectors like healthcare and financial services to adopt cloud technologies while maintaining compliance and operational resilience. By offering structured direction, the framework aims to assist organisations in integrating cloud solutions without breaching regulatory requirements.
The endorsement comes as Malaysia’ s data centre and cloud ecosystem continues to expand, driving the ambition to position the country as a regional hub for cloud services and artificial intelligence.
MDEC Chief Executive Anuar Fariz Fadzil stated that harwmonising regulations across ASEAN could help reduce regulatory fragmentation, lower compliance risks, and unlock new opportunities for investment and innovation. The project also supports Malaysia ' s digital economy strategy under AI Nation 2030.
The Asian Business Law Institute, which acted as a consultant, described the framework as a comprehensive policy that combines high-level principles with practical guidance.
As ASEAN’ s digital integration progresses, standardised governance measures are expected to become increasingly vital in facilitating secure and scalable digital infrastructure.
INDIA’ S expanding influence in artificial intelligence( AI) drew significant attention at the India AI Impact Summit, where( former) Meta Chief AI Officer Alexander Wang described the country as a key driver in the company’ s long-term technological strategy.
Speaking during his first visit to India, Wang emphasised the country’ s scale and digital momentum as key factors behind its prominent role in Meta’ s global AI strategies.
With over 3.5 billion people worldwide using at least one of Meta’ s platforms daily, India’ s more than 500 million users make it one of the company’ s most vital markets.
Instead of considering AI development mainly a Silicon Valley concern, Wang highlighted the need to create systems that meet local requirements. India’ s large user base, strong engineering community, and expanding digital infrastructure make it an important market for developing AI tools.
Across Meta’ s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, AI features are already part of daily interactions. Some of these include translation tools that help convert

India’ s tech leap

Instagram Reels into regional languages and AI-powered agents on WhatsApp Business that enable small enterprises to respond to customer queries quickly and efficiently.
Beyond social media, Wang also emphasised applications in healthcare and accessibility. In a country with 20 million people living with disabilities, voice-first AI systems are enabling textbooks to be converted into accessible formats.
Medical AI models are also helping with tumour detection and image analysis, cutting down the time required for manual review.
India’ s linguistic diversity remains a key concern. Meta has introduced open-source speech recognition systems capable of recognising more than 1,600 languages and is collaborating with the government-backed AI Kosh platform to provide datasets
Alexander Wang
across 10 major Indian languages.
Real-time voice translation, possibly through wearable devices, could significantly lower communication barriers.
Looking ahead, Wang outlined Meta’ s ambition to develop what he called“ personal superintelligence,” an AI system that surpasses merely responding to prompts to understanding individual routines and goals.
Such systems could help with managing schedules, health tracking, as well as daily planning,” he explained.
According to Wang, AI leadership depends on coordinated investment in talent, energy, data, and computing capacity. He stated that to ensure access to these inputs while avoiding fragmented regulations, governments and private businesses must collaborate.
Wang mentioned that India has a large user base, strong engineering expertise, and growing digital public infrastructure. As AI adoption rises, the country could become a key centre for AI innovation with appropriate investments in energy systems and computing capacity. – @ green