Google DeepMind is opening a new artificial intelligence (AI) research lab in Singapore with the goal of accelerating the adoption and real-world benefits of AI across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
The firm said in a statement on Wednesday that this investment builds on Google’s longstanding commitment to the Asia Pacific ecosystem; Google DeepMind’s APAC team has more than doubled over the past year.
The team in this new lab will consist of exceptional research scientists, software engineers, and AI impact experts focused on advancing Gemini and frontier AI capabilities, with a strong emphasis on linguistic and cultural inclusivity for this diverse region.
The new research lab will be focused on collaboration as the firm works directly with government, businesses, civil society and world-class academic institutions across the region.
The firm is focused on understanding how the technologies can be best built to serve the diverse needs of the APAC region.
It is noted that the APAC is home to more than half the world’s population and is poised for immense growth.
The Singapore government’s ambitious and forward-looking approach — exemplified by their National AI Strategy 2.0 and Smart Nation 2.0 and their openness to global talent — make this an excellent location to the firm to expand its presence.
“We are already seeing the extraordinary positive impact that our teams and partners are generating by applying Google technologies across Singapore and the wider region,
“Beyond our core products like Gemini, we are seeing creative and exciting examples of our AI technology in action when used collaboratively and responsibly,” said Lila Ibrahim, Chief Operating Officer of Google DeepMind.
In terms of science, a multidisciplinary research team at Singapore’s Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) used AlphaFold to pioneer a breakthrough in understanding Parkinson’s disease, establishing a link between immunology and neurodegenerative diseases that could lead to earlier diagnosis and targeted therapies.
In public services, Google DeepMind is working closely with GovTech, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Together, they launched an AI agent sandbox to safely test autonomous solutions that enhance public sector efficiency and service delivery.
Regarding multilinguality, Google DeepMind has collaborated with AI Singapore to launch Project Aquarium, an open data platform for Southeast Asian Languages.
The firm has also expanded its partnership to support further developments of SEA-LION – a family of LLMs trained and tuned to be representative of Southeast Asia’s cultural contexts and linguistic nuances.
This enabled the launch of their first multimodal model, SEA-LION v4, built on Gemma 3’s multimodal capabilities.
In education, Google DeepMind is also giving students in Singapore one-year free access to the Google AI Pro Plan to unlock upgraded AI features for creativity and learning, and it introduced Gemini Academy to IMDA’s Singapore Digital Office to broaden AI literacy and make AI accessible to all.
Through its Google for Startups (AI First accelerator), Google DeepMind is also supporting Singaporean AI-first startups that are using generative AI to tackle significant economic, societal and environmental issues.
“These examples reflect what’s possible when cutting-edge AI research meets Singapore’s forward-looking innovation and strong public purpose,” said Ibrahim.
According to the statement, as the firm expands its presence in Singapore, it is committed to ensuring the benefits of AI are realized across the region.
“Through our new AI research lab, we will continue collaborating with the region’s vibrant ecosystem of partners to unlock AI’s transformative benefits for diverse communities,
“Together, we are responsibly shaping how AI can serve the needs, and reflect the cultures, of over half the world’s population,” added Ibrahim.
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