Nvidia to open Singapore research center for embodied AI

On May 20, Nvidia said it will open its first research center in Singapore to develop embodied AI.

The company plans to improve AI infrastructure efficiency with local universities, companies, and government agencies.

Singapore also plans to launch a testbed later in 2026 for firms to design and validate commercial AI robots.

Certis, DHL, Grab, and QuikBot are expected to be among the first users.

The government will also run trials through a new Center for Intelligent Robotics with Slamtec, Unitree, and QuikBot, covering food and parcel delivery, cleaning, and security patrols.

It announced the measures at the opening of ATxSummit.

🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Nvidia’s Singapore research center fits its wider AI infrastructure push

Nvidia’s new research center extends work it already does in Singapore 1.
Earlier events such as AI Innovation Day brought together the local AI community, officials from Singapore’s National AI Office, and executives from Certis. National AI Office is the government office that helps shape the country’s AI policy. Certis is a Singapore-based security services company 1.
The lab’s focus on AI infrastructure matches Nvidia’s wider plan to build national-scale AI infrastructure and AI factories 2.
Eli Lilly plans to build an AI factory with an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. It is a high-performance computing system for training AI models and running them. The setup would support drug discovery plus model development. The effort also includes a Lilly-Nvidia AI co-innovation lab and a commitment of more than US$1 billion over five years 2.

Singapore is building a role in AI governance and deployment

The government does more than fund projects. It also brings together companies, universities, and public-sector organizations while setting national AI direction.
ATxSummit gathers more than 4,000 leaders from over 50 countries. Organisers describe AI as core infrastructure that can help tackle real-world problems 3.
Singapore’s National AI Strategy, announced in 2019, guides this work 1.
If launched as planned, the robotics testbed would give companies such as Grab and DHL a route from research to commercial validation.