Singapore on Monday launched ASPIRE 2B, a new national supercomputer designed to support advanced artificial intelligence (AI) research and high-performance computing, as the city-state seeks to deepen its position as a regional AI hub and accelerate breakthroughs in areas ranging from climate science to healthcare.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said the new system represents a major upgrade to Singapore’s national computing infrastructure and will support the country’s next phase of AI development.

ASPIRE 2B, operated by the National Supercomputing Center Singapore (NSCC), delivers a 100-fold increase in computing capacity compared with ASPIRE 1, Singapore’s first national supercomputer that came online a decade ago.

The new system is equipped with more than 1,500 Nvidia H200 graphics processing units (GPUs) and can deliver up to 115 petaFLOPs of computing power.

Teo said access to advanced computing resources remains critical as Singapore expands its AI ambitions under the National AI Strategy 2.0, launched about 30 months ago.

Singapore has made significant progress in building its AI ecosystem, she said, with more than 70 companies establishing AI Centers of Excellence in the country.

Global AI research organizations, including Google DeepMind and Microsoft Research Asia, have also set up regional teams in Singapore, alongside emerging AI startups.

Last month, Singapore refreshed its priorities across the 10 enablers outlined in the National AI Strategy, focusing on accelerating AI adoption across industries, transforming key sectors of the economy and strengthening Singapore’s position as an international AI hub.

To guide these efforts, the government has established a National AI Council chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The council will oversee AI initiatives across four key sectors — connectivity, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and finance — which together account for more than 40 percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.

Teo said research remains central to Singapore’s AI ambitions, both in developing new AI technologies and applying AI to scientific discovery.

The government has committed more than S$1 billion ($780 million) to support fundamental and applied AI research and develop AI talent in research and development.

NSCC currently supports more than 700 active users and around 9,000 researchers, students and industry participants across Singapore’s higher education and research institutions.

Since 2024, the center has supported more than 1,500 projects spanning scientific research and industrial applications.

Among the beneficiaries is local maritime engineering company Mencast, which used NSCC’s computing resources to develop an AI-powered platform for marine propeller design, said Teo.

The platform combines AI-driven optimization with advanced simulations, allowing engineers to generate and evaluate more than 10,000 design variations within days, compared with about 20 designs previously developed over several weeks.

According to Teo, the increased computing power offered by ASPIRE 2B will allow researchers and companies to undertake projects that were previously beyond their reach.

Large AI models that were too computationally intensive to train locally can now be developed in Singapore, while simulations that previously relied on approximations can be run at higher resolutions, she noted.

She said workloads that were often processed overseas can also be conducted using national research infrastructure.

Teo highlighted climate research as one area expected to benefit from the enhanced capabilities.

Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study used NSCC resources to develop high-resolution climate models tailored to the country’s urban environment, helping policymakers design coastal protection measures and support long-term planning under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

With ASPIRE 2B, researchers will be able to combine AI techniques with physics-based simulations to generate more detailed climate forecasts and improve understanding of risks such as rising sea levels and extreme rainfall.

Another focus area is the development of AI models that better reflect Southeast Asia’s languages and cultures.

Teo noted that A*STAR’s SEA-LION and MERaLiON models were designed to understand the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, where more than 1,000 languages are spoken.

Such capabilities are increasingly important for companies and organizations deploying AI solutions across Southeast Asia, she said.

According to her, NSCC also plans to integrate a quantum computer with ASPIRE 2B later this year, creating a hybrid computing environment that combines classical and quantum technologies.

While practical applications are still emerging, Teo said the integration could help researchers explore complex fields such as molecular simulations and advanced materials research, positioning Singapore to benefit from future advances in quantum computing.

Despite the importance of computing infrastructure, Teo stressed that hardware alone would not determine success.

“As AI systems become more sophisticated, capabilities will matter just as much as capacity,” she said, noting that next-generation technologies such as agentic AI and physical AI are expected to require significantly greater computing resources.

She called on NSCC to continue strengthening user support, helping researchers, students and companies make effective use of advanced computing resources.

“Our measure of success cannot be limited to the scale of hardware,” Teo said. “What matters is how well we use the infrastructure — efficiently, effectively, and in service of the research community.”

She added that people, skills and collaboration would remain essential in translating computing power into practical outcomes, including better climate models, medical breakthroughs and industrial innovation.

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