Singapore is playing a different game from other countries vying for the leading position in AI technology developments, and it wouldn’t be totally wrong to assume that the city-state is currently winning.
Testbeds, Not Labs
While many countries invest heavily in AI research and development, Singapore actively pursues practical, real-world uses of the technology in its own public services and infrastructure. This “testbed approach” allows them to identify challenges and opportunities firsthand, refine solutions, and showcase the technology’s value.
Now, Singapore is doubling down on this approach by extending its partnership with Google Cloud to empower 150 more organisations to develop AI solutions that address real-world challenges.
Google Cloud’s partnership with Singapore began In 2023, when the government teamed to announce a program called “AI Trailblazers,” which aims to enable participants to develop AI applications to improve their business, leveraging different AI solutions and development tools from Google.
Under the initiative, about 84 organisations from both the public and the private sector reportedly developed 100 generative AI solutions.
“[…]Through this program, participants capitalized on the transformative impact of gen AI and developed applications to improve their business. These efforts will contribute to Singapore’s ambition of becoming a hub for AI innovation,” said Philbert Gomez, Vice President and Head of Digital Industry Singapore (DISG).
Free AI Support for 150 Organizations
Given the success of AI Trailblazers, the Singaporean government saw the need to expand the initiative to help up to 150 more organizations.
According to reports, AI Trailblazers 2.0 will feature enhanced Innovation Sandboxes that will provide participants access to Google Cloud’s unified AI stack. They will also have support from Google Cloud engineers at no cost for up to 10 weeks.
Participants will also have access to Gemini, Google’s latest model, and Duet AI for developers to help them build, deploy, and operate applications faster.
