PENANG: BoomGrow Productions Sdn Bhd and CelcomDigi Berhad today partnered to transform the country’s agriculture industry through the integration of 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR) and precision agriculture technologies.
This collaboration marked a major step forward in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and advanced technologies to enhance food production in Malaysia.
Through this partnership, CelcomDigi will leverage 5G connectivity supported by ZTE to enhance the capabilities and efficiency of BoomGrow Machine Farms. The integration of 5G technology with AI and XR will enable real-time monitoring, precise control of the agricultural environment and predictive analytics, improving crop yields and overall resource efficiency.
Data from all machinery farms across the country will be consolidated into a central dashboard for seamless monitoring and management. This is made possible by CelcomDigi’s fastest and most extensive network in Malaysia, ensuring reliable and comprehensive connectivity across all machinery farms.
The partnership has embarked on three key areas of innovation in agritech:
· 5G-Enhanced Precision Agriculture: BoomGrow Machine Farms are now powered by CelcomDigi’s 5G connectivity, through which they are connected to a range of integrated sensors and monitoring systems that can feed back real-time data, allowing precise control of the indoor farming environment to ensure optimal conditions for crop growth.
AI and Data Analytics for Machine Farms: With multiple machine farms feeding back complex data sets and plant visualization, AI-powered advanced analytics can now perform deeper analysis of the complex data sets received from all the machine farms. For example, if an alert occurs in one of the farms, the team can gain insights through analytics to derive the root cause of the issue and take immediate action. This enhances the decision-making process and improves overall productivity.
Training agronomists with XR: XR technology provided by XR Associate allows future agronomists to participate in remote immersive training programs, giving them hands-on experience and expertise in managing modern agricultural systems from various BoomGrow Machine Farms locations. It will also help BoomGrow to more easily onboard new agronomists as it expands its Machine Farms footprint in the future.
Hosting the partnership event, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said, “This collaboration between CelcomDigi and BoomGrow is a shining example of how technology can be leveraged to address key challenges in society. The adoption of 5G and other advanced technologies in agriculture is improving productivity and contributing to the sustainability and resilience of our country’s food system. The government supports such efforts to drive innovation and advance Malaysia towards a digitally-enabled, technology-driven, high-income country.”
BoomGrow is one of 40 pioneering partners at CelcomDigi’s AI Experience Centre (AiX), a state-of-the-art facility to foster rapid innovation in 5G, AI and other emerging technology solutions across various industries to accelerate Malaysia’s 5G-AI expectations.
T. Kugan, Chief Innovation Officer at CelcomDigi, said, “We are excited to partner with BoomGrow to reimagine agriculture in the era of everything going digital. BoomGrow’s agricultural innovations will be enabled by CelcomDigi’s 5G services, AI and XR technologies to set a new standard for efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.”
“This partnership underscores our commitment to growing Malaysia’s vibrant 5G and digital innovation ecosystem through collaboration with local and global technology companies. As we move forward to accelerate the nation’s transformation into a digital society powered by 5G and AI, we remain focused on supporting the industry with the emerging technologies and tools they need to thrive in the digital age,” he added.
Murali Krishnamurthy, CEO and Co-Founder, BoomGrow said, “Our partnership with CelcomDigi marks an important milestone for BoomGrow as we continue to lead the way in precision agriculture. Integrating 5G technology into our operations will enable us to take efficiency and sustainability to new levels, driving the future of agriculture. With this increased connectivity, our customers will benefit from greater predictability and control, resulting in consistently higher quality produce and more reliable outcomes. CelcomDigi’s strong support for tech startups like ours not only advances our capabilities, but also contributes to the growth of the startup ecosystem in Malaysia. Together, we are shaping a more innovative and sustainable future for the industry.”
To date, multiple BoomGrow Machine Farms have been established across Malaysia and the Philippines, one of which is located at CelcomDigi AiX in Subang Jaya, Selangor.
