Asia Must Strengthen Data Foundations to Fully Leverage AI’s Potential
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 (Bernama) -- While Malaysia and other Asian economies are moving beyond artificial intelligence (AI) pilot projects, organisations in the region are still grappling with fundamental data challenges that could hinder AI’s full-scale adoption, according to a survey by Hitachi Vantara.
The State of Data Infrastructure Survey -- which involved 1,200 global respondents, including 325 in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, and China -- found that 42 per cent of Asian businesses now consider AI critical to their operations, exceeding the global average of 37 per cent.
In a statement Thursday, Hitachi Vantara -- a data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd -- said this indicates that AI is now critical to their organisation’s operations, underscoring the region’s decisive shift from experimentation to full-scale AI adoption.
However, this enthusiasm contrasts sharply with persistent data quality and availability issues, raising concerns about AI’s effectiveness, it said.
On average, Asian enterprises report that their AI models generate accurate outputs only 32 per cent of the time, while data is accessible when needed in just 34 per cent of cases.
Only 30 per cent of data are structured, indicating that most information feeding into AI systems is messy and unrefined.
In Malaysia, the challenge is compounded by a higher reliance on self-taught AI skills (50 per cent), compared to other regional markets that are investing in external expertise and specialised hires.
Adding to these difficulties is the surging demand for data storage, which is expected to jump by 123 per cent in Asia over the next two years.
Hitachi Vantara said 44 per cent of respondents cited data security as a top concern — especially in India (54 per cent) and Indonesia (50 per cent), adding that businesses are facing mounting pressure to ensure AI systems are both secure and efficient.
“In this environment, without decisive action to improve data structuring, availability and quality, Asian firms may find their AI initiatives stall, delivering inconsistent and unreliable results rather than the promised transformative value,” it added.
Despite these hurdles, it said Asian enterprises are actively investing in talent and partnerships to improve AI implementation, whereby 71 per cent of organisations are hiring AI-skilled staff, compared to 64 per cent globally, while 68 per cent are turning to external consultants.
“However, the study highlights that Malaysian businesses may be missing out on expert guidance, as they rely more on self-directed learning rather than professional collaboration,” it said.
Hitachi Vantara senior vice-president and general manager for the Americas and Asia Pacific, Adrian Johnson said data integrity, security and governance are essential for AI to deliver transformative value.
“The region’s markets show that when organisations pair advanced AI adoption with data best practices, AI can transcend pilot projects.
“However, without structured data and strategic partnerships, AI’s potential will remain under-realised,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
