Singapore has unveiled a S$1 billion plan to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) research and engineering capabilities.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic expertise and improve the commercial application of AI technologies, according to The Edge.

The funding will be deployed under the National AI Research and Development Plan, which will run from 2025 to 2030.

The programme is expected to support core research in areas such as AI safety and resource efficiency, while also working with industry partners to accelerate the adoption of AI across key sectors.

A key focus of the plan is to build engineering capacity that can translate academic research into practical systems and applications.

This includes strengthening capabilities across the technology stack, from hardware design to software deployment.

Part of the allocation will be directed towards existing initiatives, including the AI Visiting Professorship, which aims to attract leading international researchers to collaborate with local universities and research institutes.

The new funding is separate from earlier government commitments.

In 2024, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information announced that more than S$1 billion would be invested over five years to secure AI compute resources, support talent development and grow the domestic AI industry.

Singapore has also introduced the world’s first Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI to guide the responsible deployment of autonomous systems.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by s.m.al_ferdous and mrsiraphol via Freepik