Google DeepMind sets up AI research lab in Singapore

Google DeepMind has set up an artificial intelligence (AI) research lab in Singapore, which will spur existing efforts in improving its Al model's capabilities in understanding regional languages and cultural nuances.

- Sarah Koh

Through partnerships with local agencies and academic institutions, the US tech giant’s primary Al research team will also be working on improving its Al model Gemini’s reasoning capabilities and creating solutions to tackle global issues such as energy, healthcare and climate.

Singapore is a prime location for the new AI research lab due to its pro-innovation and forward-looking approach, said Google DeepMind chief operating officer Lila Ibrahim during a media event at Google’s Pasir Panjang office on Nov 19. The research lab will be located within its office.

“We need a partnership that helps us balance both long-term and short-term goals,’ said Ms Ibrahim. “It’s not just about how to focus on elite applications AI, but also how to make it generally available, and making sure that we're not leaving people behind in this transformative technology.”

DeepMind, a London-based startup that was founded in 2010, was acquired by Google in 2014 with a mission to build AI responsibly for the benefit of humanity.

Beyond its work on core products such as large-language model Gemini, the research division’s achievements also include the launch of AlphaFold in 2020, an Al system that accurately predicts 3D models of protein structures.

This technology was used by Singapore’s National Neuroscience Institute and A*STAR to pioneer a breakthrough in understanding Parkinson’s disease, said the team in a statement on Nov 19.