Singapore’s new platform connecting AI leaders; Waymo’s plans for driverless ride-hailing services; and investments by Databricks and Google Cloud – read to find out about these AI developments and more.
Singapore is home to nearly 100 companies with AI Centres of Excellence (CoEs) across industries. As more companies develop and deploy AI solutions, sharing practical experiences can help others accelerate their own AI adoption journeys.
To facilitate this exchange, EDB, in partnership with GlobalFoundries and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and in collaboration with Lorong AI, launched SG AI Xchange — a new platform connecting leaders from established AI CoEs with emerging AI builders.
The inaugural edition on advanced manufacturing brought together 150 business leaders. In her opening address, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Jasmin Lau encouraged companies to share not just their success stories, but also challenges and lessons from implementing AI.
Industry leaders also shared insights on scaling AI:
Stay tuned for the next edition of SG AI Xchange, focusing on financial services on 17 November. More details will be announced soon.
Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle operator, has chosen Singapore for its Southeast Asian debut, with commercial driverless ride-hailing services planned for 2028. Its autonomous driving system uses AI to interpret sensor data, anticipate other road users’ behaviour and plan driving actions in real time.
Ahead of the launch, Waymo will conduct mapping and validation driving in 2027, working with the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority to adapt its technology to local road layouts and monsoon weather conditions, while meeting safety and regulatory requirements. The expansion will increase demand for specialist capabilities in fleet management, remote vehicle operations, system maintenance, application testing and data analysis — highlighting the expertise needed to support commercial deployment beyond the driving technology itself.
US-based data and AI company Databricks is investing more than S$445 million in Singapore over three years to help businesses deploy and scale AI. Its EDB-supported Enterprise AI Transformation programme will pair participating companies with a Databricks-sponsored Forward Deployed Engineer to identify high-value use cases, deploy solutions securely with local partners and build capabilities to scale future AI initiatives independently.
The company will also expand its local team of Forward Deployed Engineers and technical specialists to more than 200, increasing access to hands-on implementation expertise to help businesses move AI applications and agents from pilot to production. Launching in November 2026, its Singapore Startup AI Accelerator will help more than 100 early-stage companies build AI-native products through technical guidance, platform credits and connections to enterprise customers and investors.
Databricks will work with IMDA and local universities to train an additional 20,000 people in data and AI skills, integrating training and industry-recognised certifications into university curricula, starting with Singapore Management University.
Google Cloud’s new Singapore Engineering Center (SEC) will work directly with Singapore-based enterprises to develop production-ready cloud and AI solutions for global deployment. Its AI researchers and cloud systems architects will embed customers’ business requirements into product development, with early collaborations including stress-testing real-time multilingual AI models with Grab and developing core financial agentic workflows with DBS. Google Cloud is also expanding its regional Forward Deployed Engineer workforce to help customers integrate and scale innovations, supporting the transition from pilot projects to production.
Razer and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have launched a joint research lab to explore specialised AI for gaming, combining NUS’s research capabilities with Razer’s industry expertise and use cases. The lab will focus on core model innovation, real-time content systems and advanced personalisation. Potential applications include generating context-aware objectives and dialogue, and adjusting difficulty during live matches to improve engagement and fairness.
The AI lab will house 15 to 20 NUS researchers, with intellectual property arising from the research jointly owned by the partners. It complements Razer’s existing AI Centre of Excellence, which focuses on consumer-facing AI and hardware innovation, illustrating how companies can work with local universities to build longer-term research capabilities alongside product development.
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