Rather than selling machines, a Japanese startup is working its way into the rules that decide what can be built, from safety standards to operator qualifications
V3D Asia, a developer of construction 3D printers, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CIDB IBS, a subsidiary of the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB), through its Malaysian subsidiary Nuvah. The agreement, signed on October 9, 2026, centers on building an operator certification system, co-developing structural calculation software and constructing a model house. It follows an industry standards initiative launched in June. What the company is pursuing in Malaysia is less about bringing in machines and more about taking part in the systems that allow 3D-printed buildings to be formally built.
Recognized Partner to a Malaysian Government Body: Four Areas of Cooperation
The MOU covers advanced construction technology, industrial development and global technology transfer. CIDB IBS operates under CIDB and serves as a core body promoting the adoption and standardization of advanced construction technologies, including the Industrialised Building System (IBS) and modular construction, to the government and industry. IBS is an umbrella term for industrialized methods in which components are manufactured in factories or similar facilities and then assembled on site.
Under the MOU, Nuvah has been positioned as a recognized strategic 3DCP technology partner of CIDB IBS. 3DCP (3D construction printing) refers to building structures by layering concrete and similar materials with a construction 3D printer.
The agreement covers four areas:
- Adapting structural calculation software for Malaysia: V3D Asia will localize its structural strength calculation system for 3DCP-built walls to Malaysian specifications, and develop and operate it jointly with CIDB IBS. The system is used to verify by calculation whether walls built with a 3D printer are structurally safe.
- Building an operator certification system: Together with CIDB IBS, the group will develop a professional certification program and industry training for 3D printer operators. Nuvah will support its operation as the exclusive technology partner.
- Building a model house: A model house of just under 100 square meters is planned on the CIDB IBS premises, built with V3D Asia’s 3D printer.
- Japan and global technology transfer program: Members of Malaysia’s construction industry will take part in training that includes visits to see Japanese construction technology and V3D Asia’s development and demonstration sites.
According to the release, further details of the partnership will be unveiled later, along with a signing ceremony, at ICW (International Construction Week) / BINA 2026, a construction exhibition in Malaysia.
Safety Standards, Certification and Design Tools: Shaping the Rules for 3D-Printed Buildings
This MOU is not a one-off. In June 2026, V3D Asia and Nuvah announced a collaboration with SIRIM Academy to develop industry standards for 3DCP in Malaysia. They are also in discussions with CIDB about adding 3DCP to the IBS framework. Industry standards, recognition as a construction method, and now structural calculation and certification: step by step, the company has engaged with each part of the system.
These systems matter because without them, buildings do not sell. Without standards, local authorities find it hard to grant approvals, banks find it hard to lend, and buyers cannot be confident in structural safety. Structural calculation software is the tool that judges whether a wall is safe, and a certification system decides who is allowed to operate the machine. Both form the foundation for getting a building approved, financed and bought.
3D-printed construction itself is not new to Malaysia. In October 2022, a subsidiary of local firm Sarawak Consolidated Industries (SCIB) unveiled a sample house built with a printer from Denmark’s COBOD on the premises of CIDB’s Kuching campus. The difference this time is that the effort goes beyond putting up a model house for show, extending into the mechanisms for verifying structural safety and certifying operators.
In parallel, Nuvah plans to begin construction in November 2026 on Villa Bayu, a 3D-printed luxury bungalow at Eco Majestic in Semenyih, Selangor, which the company describes as the first of its kind in Malaysia.
AM Insight Asia Perspective
What will determine how far construction 3D printing spreads is not so much machine performance as the ability to design the systems around it. Many people can choose a machine, but few companies can design a system that connects materials, people, standards and demand, because it means shaping things outside the technology itself: government, standards bodies and the flow of money. That ecosystem is exactly what V3D Asia is building in Malaysia. Within this MOU, the two elements that carry the most weight are the structural calculation software and the certification system. Once embedded in the system, both tend to set the terms that later entrants have to follow.
When a new technology is being rolled out, the machines and the technology get introduced, but the education and qualifications of the people who operate them are often overlooked. The result tends to be a situation where the machines are there but no one can run them. And the value of the technology ends up being judged only by what the machine delivers on its own. This MOU builds certification and industry training into its core from the start, jointly with a government body, opening the path to adoption from the people side. In that sense, it follows a sensible order.
If structural calculations are run on V3D Asia’s system and Nuvah serves as the exclusive technology partner for operator certification, companies using other manufacturers’ printers may end up being assessed by a yardstick V3D Asia helped shape, and hiring people trained within it. For established foreign manufacturers such as COBOD, the gap could open somewhere other than machine performance.
At the same time, this raises a question of institutional credibility. If national qualifications and safety standards depend on one company’s software and training, it would not be surprising to see questions about neutrality. Will this become an ecosystem open to the whole industry, or one centered on V3D Asia? The dividing line is whether the standards can be used with other companies’ machines and materials. At the MOU stage, where that line falls is not yet visible.
This systems-building also ties directly into V3D Asia’s own business. For a company that handles everything from materials to buildings and real estate, clearer paths to approval and financing affect how easily it can sell, and raise funds for, its own developments such as Villa Bayu. Here, contributing to the system and serving its own business interests point in the same direction.
What to watch next is how much concrete detail emerges at ICW. Once the launch timing of the certification system, the scope of the structural calculation software and the treatment of other manufacturers’ printers become clear, it will be easier to see whether this partnership becomes a foundation for the whole industry or remains one company’s market entry strategy.
About the Company
V3D Asia A construction technology company that, starting from its own materials development, handles everything from construction 3D printing technology and building systems to space and property development. Headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Its leadership includes Group Chairman & CEO Kazuhiro Ono and Japan CEO Jun Asami. Website: https://v3d.asia/
Nuvah The operating company responsible for the V3D Asia group’s commercial business in Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur and led by Malaysia CEO Boywin Lee. It applies V3D Asia’s materials and construction 3D printing technology to building and property projects including homes, villas and resorts. Website: https://www.nuvah.com.my/
