Singapore Deepens AI Ecosystem with Global Collaborators to Accelerate Real-World Deployment

1. At ATxSummit 2026, the flagship event of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG), Minister for Digital Development and Information Mrs Josephine Teo unveiled new global partnerships and initiatives to strengthen Singapore’s position as a leading AI hub. These announcements mark a decisive shift from exploring AI tools to taking action – building, deploying and governing real-world AI systems that deliver impact where it matters most. As highlighted during the Economic Strategic Review committee in its recommendation recently, Singapore aims to be a trusted hub to develop, test and deploy AI solutions that solve real-world problems at scale.

Singapore Government and eight industry leaders to research, test and deploy physical AI in Punggol Digital District

2. In a push to bring physical AI to the real world, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), JTC and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) are embarking on new collaborations with eight leading industry leaders at the Punggol Digital District (PDD). This testbed will be launched later in 2026 to research, test and deploy physical AI. It will be Singapore's first testbed to enable multi use-case and multi-operator deployments at-scale, in a mixed-use public area. Certis, DHL, Grab and QuikBot will be among the first companies to co-design, deploy, test and validate commercially viable robotics services in public spaces. This will include food and parcel delivery as well as cleaning and security patrolling, to complement existing human operations. The testbed is facilitated in collaboration with the Land Transport Authority (LTA), through a precinct-level exemption framework under the Active Mobility Act.

(For more details, please refer to the factsheet on the collaborations at the Punggol Digital District (PDD).)

3. To strengthen Singapore’s embodied AI (EAI) capabilities, IMDA together with National Robotics Programme (NRP), will work with knowledge partners such as FieldAI and Thoughtworks, who bring deep expertise in digital workflows, data platforms, and AI systems. They will also collaborate with companies such as Slamtec, Unitree, and QuikBot, who specialise in automation, AI, and mobility, developing and trialling EAI use cases through SIT's new Centre for Intelligent Robotics at PDD. The testbed will provide a real-world environment where robots and AI systems are continuously tested and refined in areas like safety, use cases, potential regulatory challenges, and infrastructure development.

Strengthening Singapore’s AI Research Frontier

4. Frontier AI research is key to sustaining Singapore’s competitive edge. To sharpen Singapore’s manufacturing advantage, NVIDIA is launching an AI research lab focused on advancing embodied and efficient AI in collaboration with university researchers, industry partners, and government agencies. The lab is NVIDIA’s Singapore hub and second research presence in Asia Pacific.

5. The lab will focus on two strategic domains that have numerous potential applications in manufacturing: Embodied AI, which enables intelligent systems to perceive, reason and act in the physical world, and Efficient AI computing, which focuses on optimising models and infrastructure to reduce compute costs, improve energy efficiency and support scalable AI deployment.

Accelerating AI for Public Good: New Industry Partnerships

6. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Google announced an expansion of Google's collaboration with the Singapore Government through a new National AI Partnership. This partnership aims to harness frontier AI as a force for good – including deploying AI to solve society's challenges, fostering an AI-ready workforce in Singapore, and creating a secure and trusted ecosystem.

7. MDDI and OpenAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the new “OpenAI for Singapore” initiative to strengthen Singapore's position as a leading hub for applied AI innovation. The MOU comprises three pillars of collaboration: advancing applied AI innovation, building AI talent, and making AI accessible to citizens, enterprises and the public sector. The partnership represents a commitment of more than S$300 million by OpenAI to strengthen Singapore’s AI ecosystem.

Building the foundations for trusted, scalable AI deployment

8. Beyond sector-specific deployments, Singapore is advancing ecosystem-wide initiatives to support AI adoption, particularly in high-trust sectors like finance and the public sector, where reliability, governance and safety are critical for real-world deployment.

9. Temus, a Temasek-established AI and digital transformation firm, will launch an AI Foundry to help enterprises deploy AI solutions at scale and develop talent pipelines. Supported by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), the Foundry will hire 50 professionals across roles such as AI architects, data scientists, AI/ML engineers, product owners, and full-stack, DevOps and UX engineers, who will be deployed on live enterprise projects in high-value sectors such as financial services and precision health. Separately, Temus will sign a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with AI Singapore (AISG) to explore joint prototypes, reusable delivery frameworks and enterprise deployments that bring nationally developed AI capabilities into real world operating environments.

10. A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (A*STAR I2R) is updating the MERaLiON (Multimodal Empathetic Reasoning and Learning in One Network) AI Model to advance capabilities, drive real-world use cases, and scale adoption – especially in environments where understanding tone, intent and context are critical for decision-making. The updated MERaLiON AudioLLM v3 will deliver paralinguistic intelligence across Southeast Asian languages, including speech and non-speech understanding. MERaLiON will be made available through cloud hosting and API access, as well as edge computing environments, including on devices with Apple silicon such as Mac and iPad, enabling scalable and privacy-preserving applications across healthcare, field operations and emergency response.

Governance that keeps pace with AI

11. AI is moving fast, and governments around the world are working to keep up. Rather than taking a top-down regulatory approach, Singapore takes a practical, risk-based approach: working hand-in-hand with industry partners, researchers, and other stakeholders to co-create governance frameworks and assurance tools that are fit for purpose. The goal is an ecosystem where organisations can innovate, knowing that the guardrails are in place. Two initiatives reflecting this approach were announced today:

• Updated Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI: First launched at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, the Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI (“MGF”) has been updated to include real-world case studies and new best practices. The update drew on feedback and contributions from over 50 organisations – including AWS, DBS, Google, and Salesforce, reflecting broad industry input into the framework's development. It also features over 10 new case studies from contributors such as Ant International, CDL, CyberSierra, Dayos, GovTech Singapore, Google, Knovel, OCBC, PwC, Stability Protocol, Tencent, Terminal 3, and Workday, showing how the framework’s recommendations can be applied in real-world agentic deployments across a range of sectors and contexts. 

(For more details, please refer to the factsheet on the updated Model AI Governance Framework.)

• Google Whitepaper on AI Agents: Google worked with CSA, GovTech Singapore, and IMDA to explore how AI agents can be safely and effectively used in the real world. Through a joint AI Agents Sandbox, launched in August 2025, the partners tested how computer use agents behave in practice and turned those findings into a shared Whitepaper. The Whitepaper offers a practical roadmap for governments around the world looking to harness AI agents for public good. This first-of-its-kind public-private partnership shows that industry and government can work hand in hand to responsibly shape the future of AI.

(For more details, please refer to the factsheet on the Google Whitepaper on AI Agents.)

12. As Singapore continues to grow its AI ecosystem, these initiatives will help translate innovation to real-world impact, strengthening our position as a trusted global AI hub where businesses, researchers and governments can develop, test and deploy AI solutions at scale.

13. Minister for Digital Development and Information Mrs Josephine Teo attended an ASEAN-US AI Ministerial Roundtable on the sidelines of ATxSummit today. Bringing together Digital Ministers from ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat, the US government, and industry leaders from Amazon and Google, the Roundtable marked the launch of "The Road to 50 Years of ASEAN-US Relations" under the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Discussions centered on inclusive AI adoption across the region. This included empowering small businesses to harness AI for economic growth, how the US and its companies can support ASEAN through capacity building, skills development, and technology partnerships in AI, as well as strengthening regional assurance mechanisms for AI.

For more information on ATxSG, please visit asiatechxsg.com.