Malaysia’s smart home market is moving beyond connected lights, security systems and app-controlled appliances. At i-City in Shah Alam, the next step being explored is whether homes can also respond to the wellbeing of the people living inside them.
i-City AI Living plans to integrate Garmin wearable technology into about 500 residences under a collaboration between i-City and Garmin Malaysia. The project will explore how wellness information can become part of a wider connected residential environment.
The collaboration brings together wearable devices, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and building systems. It also points to a broader shift in Malaysia’s property sector, where technology may increasingly shape not only convenience but everyday wellbeing.
From Smart Homes to Connected Wellness
Traditional smart homes largely rely on residents giving instructions, whether through an app, voice command or automated schedule.
AI Living is being developed around a different idea. The aim is for technology to better understand residents’ needs and support them in the background.
Garmin wearables are expected to provide the wellness sensing layer. JoiiUp, a Taiwan-based digital health intelligence company and Garmin ecosystem partner, will provide the AI wellness application and intelligence layer.
Potential uses being explored include sleep and recovery insights, stress monitoring, wellness tracking and personalised recommendations. Any deeper integration remains subject to future technical, commercial and regulatory considerations.
That distinction matters. The project is still developing, and specific implementation details may change before completion.
Photo (From left): Jimmy Chuang (Garmin Malaysia), Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong and Dato’ Eu Hong Chew (i-City). The partnership brings Garmin wellness insights into AI Living @ i-City, connecting wearables, robotics and smart living for a more seamless wellness experience.
Wearable Technology Moves Into the Home
Wearables have largely been personal devices. People use them to monitor activity, sleep, exercise and other wellness indicators.
The i-City collaboration explores what could happen when those insights become part of a wider living environment.
Jimmy Chuang, Country Manager of Garmin Malaysia, said wearable technology is increasingly helping people understand and manage their wellbeing. The collaboration will examine how that experience could extend beyond an individual device and become part of everyday connected living.
Under the planned architecture, wellness signals could eventually interact with UrbanOS, i-City’s intelligent orchestration platform.
This could create a connection between personal wellness information and other technologies in the residential environment, although the exact applications have yet to be finalised.
Building Towards Malaysia’s 2030 Urban Future
The longer timeline is significant. AI Living is targeted for completion in 2030, giving the project several years to develop alongside advances in AI, wearable sensors and digital health technology.
Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong, Chairman of i-City, said the goal is not simply to add another device or application to the home. Instead, i-City wants technology to work around residents to support care, convenience and comfort.
The initial deployment covers approximately 500 residences, with the possibility of multiple wearable devices in individual households.
The collaboration could also expand beyond those homes.
i-City has around RM5 billion in remaining development potential, according to the announcement. The developer plans to explore how its AI Living model and related technologies could eventually support the wider development of the Shah Alam urban centre.
Why This Matters for Malaysia’s Property Sector
For property developers, technology is becoming another way to differentiate future residential projects.
The next phase may be less about how many smart devices a home contains and more about whether different systems can work together in a useful way.
That creates opportunities for property developers, technology providers and digital health companies. It could also encourage more collaboration between industries that previously operated separately.
There are important questions to work through, particularly around privacy, consent, data management and regulation when wellness information is involved. These issues will become more relevant as connected living systems grow more sophisticated.
Still, projects such as AI Living offer a glimpse of how Malaysia’s urban developments could evolve over the next several years.
A Testing Ground for Connected Living
For i-City, the approximately 500 residences are intended to become an initial real-world environment for combining wellness technology with AI, robotics and intelligent infrastructure.
The project also has a regional dimension. Asian cities are continuing to urbanise while populations place greater attention on health, ageing, convenience and quality of life. Homes that respond more intelligently to those needs could become an important part of future urban development.
The challenge will be making the technology useful without making daily life more complicated.
As AI Living moves towards 2030, its progress could offer useful lessons on whether wearable data and intelligent homes can work together in a practical, responsible way.
Conclusion
The i-City and Garmin Malaysia collaboration reflects a wider change in how residential technology is being considered.
Instead of treating wearables and smart-home systems as separate products, AI Living will explore how they can form part of one connected environment.
If implemented effectively, the model could help Malaysia develop new approaches to wellness-focused housing while creating opportunities across property, AI and digital health.
