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Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
AI investments in Singapore over the last 12 months
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (From left) Grab chief technology officer Suthen Thomas, Grab chief executive Anthony Tan, DPM Gan Kim Yong, then Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat and Grab chief operating officer Alex Hungate at the launch of Grab's AI centre of excellence in May. SINGAPORE - Some of the world's biggest tech giants and multinational corporations have established artificial intelligence (AI) centres of excellence in Singapore, citing the country's business-friendly conditions. These centres aim to spur AI adoption among enterprises, nurture talent and advance the development of AI tools. Below are the notable firms that have launched AI centres in Singapore in the last two years. 1. NUS, Google – August 2025 National University of Singapore and Google announce plans to set up a joint research and innovation centre. The collaboration includes an AI talent development programme and a Google-supported professorship to promote faculty leadership in AI-related fields. 2. Microsoft – July 2025 Microsoft opens its Microsoft Research Asia lab in Singapore , its first in South-east Asia. The Singapore lab builds on Microsoft Research Asia's five-year collaboration agreement with NUS to support AI research and nurture computing talent in the region. 3. Alibaba Cloud – July 2025 Alibaba Cloud opens its AI innovation hub in Singapore, which will support more than 5,000 businesses and 100,000 developers globally. Alibaba is working with local universities such as Nanyang Technological University and Singapore University of Social Sciences to develop AI solutions and nurture tech talent. 4. BDx Data Centres and Anyon Technologies – July 2025 Data centre firm BDx and quantum computing provider Anyon Technologies jointly launch South-east Asia's hybrid quantum AI hub in Singapore. The hub will allow enterprises to explore quantum-enhanced AI applications, and it aligns with Singapore's Green Plan 2030 by incorporating sustainable infrastructure. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Govt forms 5 new committees to look at longer-term economic strategies; report due in mid-2026 Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 Singapore SIA flight bound for Seoul returns to Singapore due to technical issues Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road 5. Tata Consultancy Services – July 2025 The IT services and consulting firm launches a new innovation centre in Singapore to allow the firm's customers and partners – including 60 SMEs and start-ups – to develop AI solutions for business challenges. It will also employ 50 fresh graduates in roles such as data science and cyber security to support the centre's operations. 6. Kyndryl – June 2025 IT infrastructure provider Kyndryl launches its Asean AI Innovation Lab in Singapore , which will employ approximately 50 local AI specialists, including data scientists, data engineers and AI developers. It aims to develop AI solutions for enterprises with advanced security features across South-east Asia. 7. Grab – May 2025 Grab launches its Grab AI Centre of Excellence at Grab HQ@one-north. Supported by Digital Industry Singapore, the centre aims to accelerate AI-driven solutions in South-east Asia. It will create 50 high value jobs in the product, engineering, data science and analytics fields. 8. BHP – May 2025 Mining giant BHP opens its AI Lab in Singapore to accelerate AI adoption in the mining and resources sector. The launch is in partnership with AI Singapore and supported by Enterprise Singapore, marking a milestone in Singapore's role as a metals and minerals trading hub. 9. PwC – April 2025 Professional services firm PwC establishes its AI & Digital Innovation Centre in Singapore with a US$4 million commitment. The hub, supported by the Economic Development Board (EDB), aims to leverage AI to scale solutions for PwC's clients and power AI adoption for close to 4,000 people across the firm. 10. Oracle – March 2025 Oracle launches its AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore , which will provide organisations access to training on the latest cloud and AI technologies. It will also support experimentation and implementation of AI solutions. Its partners include Accenture, Deloitte, Digital Realty, NCS, NTUC LearningHub, PwC, and ST Engineering. 11. Accenture – November 2024 Accenture establishes its AI Refinery Engineering Hub in Singapore, supported by EDB. The hub is an extension of Accenture's Centre for Advanced AI in Singapore and is part of its global USD $3 billion investment to advance AI adoption. 12. Prudential - November 2024 Financial services firm Prudential launches its Prudential AI Lab in Singapore to accelerate the adoption of AI across the organisation. Since its soft launch in August, Prudential has received over 100 AI use cases from across 24 markets in Asia and Africa. The organisation has also partnered with institutes of higher learning such as National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic to nurture the next generation of AI talent.
Business Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Times
NUS, Google to create AI research and innovation centre, train more talent
[SINGAPORE] The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Google will collaborate to set up a joint research and innovation centre for artificial intelligence (AI) and develop AI practitioners. The centre will consolidate resources and technology to pursue experimental or applied AI projects across diverse domains, both parties said in a joint statement on Friday (Aug 1). The centre will, for example, manage a rapid prototyping sandbox, which is to be set up to create a controlled and flexible cloud-based environment, supported by Google Cloud's power-efficient Tensor Processing Units. This is essential for experimentation, testing and validation of the solutions developed under each of the domains, before they are deployed or scaled in real-world settings. Other domains in the centre include AI's intersections with education, public health and law, in light of the development of a Singapore law-specific large-language model on Google Cloud by NUS' Faculty of Law, the NUS AI Institute and NUS Computing. AI talent pipeline, new professorship The collaboration also includes an AI-focused talent development programme, which will benefit NUS students and researchers, and establishing a Google-supported professorship at NUS. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This programme will complement the joint centre, which is designed to provide training opportunities and certification pathways in Google Cloud AI platforms, and tools for NUS students and researchers to accelerate their applied AI research projects. The professorship aims to further promote faculty leadership in AI-related fields, foster deeper collaboration between academia and industry, and contribute to cultivating the next generation of talent in AI and digital innovation. NUS and Google have existing partnerships under an on-campus Google Developer Group to equip students with advanced software skills. Google Cloud is a pioneer industry partner of the NUS AI Institute, and a Google PhD Fellowship programme recognises exceptional work in computer science. Serene Sia, country director for Singapore and Malaysia at Google Cloud, said: 'Our new collaboration truly builds on those successes. It is a significant step forward in Google's commitment to bringing new capabilities for scientific discovery to Singapore. The initiative is poised to steer safe and responsible AI development and accelerate scientific progress that transforms public health, learning experiences and other vital fields.' NUS deputy president for research and technology Liu Bin echoed Sia's sentiment, and noted that the centre would create pathways for research translation and deployment.
