SINGAPORE: Indian artificial intelligence (AI) impresarios had  better watch out. A small nation in south east Asia is kicking up the AI dust in order to take the leadership in the AI gameplay across the region. At the the opening of the ATxEnterprise 2025 (Broadcast Asia) conference on 27 May, senior minister of state Tan Kiat How fired the first digital salvo of the week: Singapore is turbocharging its AI ambitions with 800 new training and job opportunities and up to 500 fresh AI projects to benefit 1,000 local enterprises.

The announcement, delivered to a buzzing crowd of 200 delegates at Singapore Expo, marked the latest step in the nation’s push to solidify AI as the backbone of its digital economy — which already contributes nearly 18 per cent to GDP.

Over the next three years, 400 of the new training spots will be rolled out via AI Singapore (AISG), with another 400 offered by corporate heavyweights including AWS, Oracle, Microsoft and Singtel.

AISG’s revamped AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP Industry) is getting a boost too — 300 slots will be tailored to industry needs, while the new Pinnacle AI Industry Programme will upskill 100 existing practitioners into elite model builders trained on large language models like AISG’s own Sea-Lion.

And the results speak volumes: of the 410 AIAP grads so far, over 90 per cent have been snapped up by employers, with alumni like former HDB deputy director Jerald Han now coding away at local unicorn Patsnap.
Enterprises aren’t being left behind either. The GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative is being scaled up — expect 500 new generative AI projects across 1,000 SMEs in the next year.

Partners like AWS and Microsoft will double consultations, offer cloud credits, and halve development costs using pre-built modules. Even old-school eateries are cashing in: White Restaurant streamlined HR functions and built an AI bot with IMDA’s support.

Minister Tan also name-checked three new backers:
– Alibaba Cloud, pledging cloud tools for 3,000 SMEs
– ST Engineering, offering free cyberthreat scans for 2,000 firms
– Prudential Singapore, creating GenAI explainer content and workshops for SME upskilling

These join existing giants like Google, Salesforce, DBS, and SGTech under the Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB) banner — an ecosystem that has already benefited over 10,000 companies.

Despite the sprint, local firms are still gasping for skilled AI hands. A Deel survey of 350 companies revealed only 12 per cent of SMEs are at the intermediate AI stage, with 47 per cent lamenting talent shortages. High salary expectations (51 per cent) and skills mismatch (47 per cent) top the list of woes.

Cue a wave of cross-border hiring: 62 per cent of firms said they’re open to recruiting from overseas to plug gaps. “Talent remains the single biggest barrier to scaling AI,” said Nick Catino, Deel’s global head of policy.
Minister Tan summed it up best: “Singapore’s value lies not just in our capabilities, but in our consistency – in being a partner you can count on, even when the world is less certain.”

With 26 AI centres of excellence already humming — and the goal to triple local AI talent to 15,000 by 2028 — it’s clear the Lion City isn’t just playing catch-up. It’s aiming to lead the AI pack in Asia.