Singapore, Google Cloud launch initiatives to foster local AI tech scene

Google Asia Pacific’s headquarters in Singapore / Photo credit: Tech in Asia

Several Singapore agencies and Google Cloud have announced joint initiatives to support AI adoption across the public and private sectors, foster a “vibrant ecosystem” of AI startups, and develop “a sustainable pipeline of AI talent” – goals in line with the city-state’s National AI Strategy 2.0, according to a statement.

Entities collaborating with Google Cloud in this program include the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), Digital Industry Singapore, Smart Nation Group, and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG).

One of these initiatives is the second edition of AI Trailblazers, which provides organizations with access to Google Cloud’s unified AI stack and its Innovation Sandbox program to create and implement their own generative AI solutions.

Named AI Trailblazers 2.0, it will help up to 150 more local organizations quickly build genAI solutions to solve their real-world challenges.

The first run of AI Trailblazers addressed over 100 genAI use cases from 84 government and private organizations, and resulted in 43 successful solutions.

Additionally, Google Cloud and EnterpriseSG also announced the launch of Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First Singapore, a program that aims to nurture 100 promising AI startups over the next three years and expand the reach of their products into new markets.

Applications are now open for the first cohort of 20 startups to join the three-month program, which will start in April 2024. Chosen participants are set to receive access to Google Cloud’s AI tech stack, mentorship and technical support from Google’s engineers, up to US$350,000 in Google Cloud credits upon graduation from the program, among other benefits.

To address the growing demand for AI skills, the tech giant is also offering an additional 3,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to local distribution partners, with a focus on upskilling mid-career professionals in high-growth fields such as cybersecurity, data analytics, and IT support.

In addition, Nanyang Polytechnic is said to be the first higher learning institute in the city-state to incorporate Google Cloud’s advanced training programs – such as deploying machine learning solutions on Vertex AI – into its core curriculum.

See also: What I learned about genAI from failing to scale my AI startup