Google DeepMind opens first Southeast Asian AI research lab in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Alphabet’s Google DeepMind opened its first Southeast Asia artificial intelligence (AI) research lab in Singapore focusing on collaboration with businesses, civil society, the government, and world-class academic institutions in the region.

In its announcement on Wednesday (Nov 19), the lab, which has begun hiring, will bring together research scientists, software engineers, and AI impact experts focused on critical areas of research and development.

However, Google did not give exact figures when reporters asked how many employees it plans to hire or how much it is investing in the lab, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.

Google DeepMind has more than doubled its Asia Pacific team over the past year.

The unit’s chief operating officer Lila Ibrahim said the Singapore government’s ambitious and forward-looking approach made it an excellent location for the new facility.

“We are focused on understanding how our technologies can be best built to serve the diverse needs of the Asia-Pacific region,” she added.

The launch of the new facility follows a recent report by Google, Temasek Holdings and Bain & Company which showed that Singapore’s AI start-ups led private AI funding in Southeast Asia. The report also found that investors expect funding to grow the most in Singapore over the next five years, with AI and deep tech among the areas drawing the highest investments. /TISG

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