FLock.io is the key technical partner in a government initiative to develop sovereign AI for Sarawak, Malaysia. Three landmark Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during a series of UK-Sarawak strategic roundtables in Manchester, Cambridge then Oxford. The aim is to advance sovereign AI through federated learning (FL) and privacy-preserving AI infrastructure. The collaborations will leverage partnerships with world-leading UK universities to advance Sarawak’s ambitions in becoming an AI leader and facilitate initiatives between the UK and Sarawak.
Instead of collecting vast amounts of sensitive data into a single, central location, FL lets multiple entities collaboratively train a model by bringing the training process directly to the data – then just collects the updates, not the raw data. This machine learning method is the answer to the public sector’s data security concerns about AI.
Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) and Unitas Global Advisory signed one MoU on May 4, with FLock.io as the sole AI partner providing delivery expertise for decentralised AI. The SAIC is the state’s governmental organisation for AI. It was witnessed by Sarawak Premier Abang Johari and also by representatives of the Greater Manchester authorities including the UK Trade Envoy to Indonesia and ASEAN Naz Shah and MP for Manchester Rusholme Afzal Khan.
FLock.io signed another MoU with the SAIC at the University of Oxford on May 7 and is the sole technology partner. The team intends to build a state-wide government LLM and distributed AI systems, FL infrastructure, a framework for data governance and data security for secure model collaboration, and data centre management. The collaboration is intended to support Sarawak’s AI roadmap towards a green, sovereign AI economy, with a clear particular focus on healthcare and agriculture.
The Premier was leading a high-level working visit to the UK and Ireland, focusing on strengthening semiconductor partnerships, sustainable energy collaboration, and digital transformation initiatives. Key stops involved tours of data centres and meetings with technology partners.
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The MoUs follow the success of FLock.io’s sovereign AI experiment
The collaboration follows the success of FLock.io’s proof of concept. FLock.io was the first in the world to use FL to train and fine-tune a language model on indigenous languages. We worked with the SAIC to train a model on Sarawak Malay data using in-country devices without sending raw data to a foreign, central server. The experiment demonstrated how FL can improve local public sector services in any country with data from the same region, instead of relying on foreign tech corporations. The MoUs mark a transition from technical experiment to expansive real-life use case possibilities in the UK and Sarawak.
Governments are seeking sovereign AI to take control of their own systems instead of relying on external and usually foreign corporations. The public sector wishes to make better use of national data to support policy making and improve services through AI, but privacy is non-negotiable – data breaches of health records and other sensitive data can be disastrous. The aim is to prioritise local infrastructure, cultural values, data security and regulatory compliance at a time when centralised AI is under fire for compromising data privacy. For example, the UK launched the Sovereign AI Fund as a state-backed venture investment initiative.
The partnerships will establish Sarawak as a green AI leader
The collaborations aim to position Sarawak as an AI leader, operating with distinct regional aspirations to build a robust AI ecosystem through UK-based academic and governmental ties. The strategy is part of the state’s long-term development framework under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
The SAIC also signed an MoU in Cambridge with Dr Saite Lu on May 6 to establish a research unit to pioneer the next generation of AI-enhanced policy frameworks. The joint action will begin with research on AI investment economics, green economy, and AI governance, and extending into education, scholarships and deeper institutional-level engagement. FLock.io bridges the gap, maximalising the efficacy of the use cases emerging from the research collaboration.
The partnerships leverage FL as the core technological pillar to achieve truly sovereign AI while keeping data localised and secure. Through research partnerships with UK universities, SAIC is now laying the foundation for a green, sovereign AI economy based on local data, renewable energy and local governance. FLock.io will deliver the FL infrastructure to allow AI models to be improved without sensitive data leaving its local jurisdiction.
In his keynote address in Manchester, the Premier emphasised that AI has been economically transformative throughout the industry’s journey – beginning with generative AI before progressing to agentic AI, and now “strategic AI” that uses agents to execute plans is the next stage. He said: “Artificial intelligence is the key. Over the past ten years, it has changed the entire economy. I believe it will go even further toward strategic intelligence.” Prof Patrick Then, CEO of the SAIC, emphasised the importance of domain-specific models. The Premier also echoed strong support for federated learning as a foundation in sovereign AI.
Certificates of appreciation were awarded to FLock.io’s researchers and advisors, signifying the importance of FLock’s work to Sarawak’s AI roadmap.
This is only the beginning of FL-enabled sovereign AI
The application of federated learning in Sarawak is far more than a localised success story. It’s a blueprint for the future of global governance. As nations grapple with the dual pressures of adopting cutting-edge AI and protecting citizen privacy and state secrets, the traditional, centralised model of AI development is rapidly becoming a geopolitical and regulatory risk. FL’s application in Sarawak is only the beginning of regional and national governmental bodies opting for a more GDPR-compliant alternative to traditional ML.
Get in touch at hello@flock.io to start your FL journey.
About SAIC
The Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) is the state’s governmental organisation for AI research, development and commercialisation in Sarawak, Malaysia. It focuses on economic growth, social inclusivity, and technological sovereignty.
About FLock.io
FLock.io is an AI research and infrastructure company pioneering enterprise-grade federated learning and distributed AI solutions. Its decentralised federated learning architecture and production-ready platforms (AI Arena, FL Alliance, and FLock API Platform) enable organisations to train and deploy their own custom AI models on local hardware while maintaining full data privacy, model ownership, and regulatory alignment by design.
About Unitas Global Advisory
Unitas Global Advisory is a UK-based strategic adviser to national governments and FLock.io is their sole AI partner. The firm has deep expertise in international partnership development, economic diplomacy and ecosystem building.
Its team and board include former diplomats, ministers, senior strategists, and international relations experts who have shaped policies and led initiatives for some of the world’s most influential organisations.
