Google Cloud, Govt Launch AI Initiative to Help Local Firms

300 enterprises to be assisted in building in-house expertise, using AI in core areas

- Krist Boo

Google's cloud unit has joined forces with the Government to outlay benefits worth $500,000 to each of 300 selected local companies in a bid to promote the use of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.

The AI Cloud Takeoff, as the initiative is called, provides technical guidance, Google training resources and cloud services credits to help firms build in-house AI expertise and broaden their AI pilots into core operations.

Companies must be locally registered or incorporated in Singapore, commit at least three employees with tech background for at least six months, have formal support from a business leader, and have at least one AI use case ready to be worked on.

The use case will be evaluated by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), the government arm driving the programme, which is the first to take wing under the $150 million Enterprise Compute Initiative announced in the 2025 Budget.

The initiative aims to encourage companies to partner cloud providers to accelerate enterprise AI and cloud adoption.

A key feature is a two-week AI capacity-building boot camp with Google Cloud's experts to help firms set up AI centres of excellence within six months.

Singapore has at least 26 of these centres, which concentrate innovation, experimentation, training, coordination and evaluation.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling said at the launch ceremony for the new programme that the Government hopes to have about 100 such centres, each serving as a catalyst for broader industry transformation.