Malaysia’s Arm chip deal probe turns political as ex-aide says: ‘I am not Jho Low 2.0’

Malaysia’s anti-corruption investigation into a flagship chip-design deal with Britain’s Arm Holdings took a more combustible turn on Thursday after a former government aide declared: “I am not Jho Low 2.0.”The remark – invoking the fugitive financier at the centre of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal – came as the country’s anti-corruption agency pushed back against his claims and allies of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned the investigation risked appearing heavy handed.The dispute has dragged one of Putrajaya’s most ambitious technology bets into a widening political fight, even as Malaysia tries to position itself higher up the global semiconductor value chain.The agreement with Arm, signed a year ago, was promoted as a cornerstone of the country’s effort to move beyond chip assembly and testing into higher-value design work.Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre left) and Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas (centre right) give the thumbs up to their collaboration in Kuala Lumpur on March 5, 2025. Photo: AFPUnder the deal, Malaysia agreed to pay US$250 million over 10 years for Arm’s intellectual property, including seven high-end chip design blueprints, while training 10,000 engineers as it seeks to build local champions in artificial intelligence and semiconductors.