S'pore keen to work with partners on AI-enabled production

DPM Heng outlines ways partners can collaborate with local manufacturing sector

- Timothy Goh

Singapore is looking to work with more like-minded partners to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled manufacturing for a greener and more sustainable future, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

These partnerships are a "critical enabler" of the Republic's manufacturing ambitions, noted DPM Heng in a speech on Oct 14.

"Such partnerships allow us to develop our respective strengths and support one another in navigating some of the difficult adjustments that come with transformation," he said at the opening ceremony of the Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (Itap) 2024 event.

This comes as Singapore remains on track to achieve its goals of increasing manufacturing value-added by 50 per cent between 2020 and 2030, and positioning itself as a critical global node for advanced manufacturing.

At the event at the Singapore Expo, themed "Shaping a Sustainable Future with AI-Powered Manufacturing", DPM Heng said that the manufacturing sector globally accounts for around one fifth of global carbon emissions, so it is critical that the sector contributes and uses new green and sustainable solutions to boost global efforts to combat climate change.

Another key trend will be the transformative impact of AI on the sector, which accounts for around 20 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product.

In his speech, DPM Heng announced several initiatives and outlined ways local and overseas organisations can collaborate with the local manufacturing ecosystem.