Singapore is fast becoming a global nexus for Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation, in part due to its strategic partnerships across industry, academia and the local and international markets. These combined initiatives not only make over Singapore’s tech landscape but also represent interesting contributions in the ongoing, global AI revolution.
The National AI Strategy 2.0 is a significant driver of such progress, highlighting the need for global cooperation to address challenging AI issues as well as the resulting growth and innovation. This approach has created a host of partnerships that are advancing AI R&D and implementation across sectors.
One of the most high-profile partnerships is between Singapore Airlines and OpenAI. The collaboration is centered on the use of generative AI to improve customer service and streamline operations in the commercial aviation sector. Leveraging OpenAI’s state-of-the-art AI technologies, Singapore Airlines seeks to deliver bespoke customer experiences and enhancing internal workflow, raising the bar in the industry with the adoption of AI.
Indeed, Singapore’s focus on developing a thriving AI environment is visible through its collaborations with tech giants such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud. Spring Singapore AWS works with the private and public sector as well as institutions on four AI pillars – public sector transformation, workforce training, enterprise solutions, and research and development - as part of its AI program.
Google Cloud has also been collaborating with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) to create the Artificial Intelligence Government Cloud Cluster (AGCC) to speed up AI’s uptake among public agencies and to drive the development of local AI businesses.
Academia and research institutes are also stepping up through partnerships for advanced AI research. The Singapore AI Research Week which ran alongside the 2025 ICLR was a chance to see the excitement of AI in Singapore –bringing researchers together and exposing them to what Singapore has to offer ITR and AI researchers.
Programs such as the collaboration between AWS and the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University which provide for AI generations through training and research collaboration.
Understanding the significance of ethical AI use and production, Singapore has formed the AI Verify Foundation (AIVF) to ensure trust and safety in AI-enabled systems. Global AI Assurance Pilot The AIVF’s Global AI Assurance Pilot program (starting February 2025) helps build a global consortium of worldwide testing companies and GenAI deployers to build best practices for technical testing of generative AI applications. This move reflects Singapore’s proactive focus when it comes to handling AI’s ethical obligations.
AI Singapore (AISG) is collaborating with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on an expansive effort to promote AI literacy and inclusivity throughout the world. This partnership is intended to build upon AISG’s successful AI-for-Good (AI4Good) program to reach six pilot countries, and narrow the digital divide by empowering local communities with critical AI knowledges.
Through these multimodal collaborative partnerships, it is not only transforming its own AI ecosystem, but also leaving an indelible mark on AI on the global scale. From facilitating innovation, to nurturing talent, and instilling an ethical AI mindset within its community, Singapore is proving itself as an AI-enabled PID to reckon with.
