Singapore has unveiled a long-term strategy to strengthen its role in global standards-setting for artificial intelligence (AI), as the city-state seeks to position itself as a trusted hub for digital trade and emerging technologies.
The Standards and Conformance (S&C) 2035 roadmap, launched by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), outlines how the country will deepen its capabilities in standards development, expand international partnerships and help firms adopt standards earlier to support innovation and market access, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
At the core of the new roadmap is a push to accelerate standards development in fast-moving sectors, particularly AI, where regulation and governance frameworks are still evolving globally.
EnterpriseSG said it will support companies at all stages of growth to adopt and develop standards early, especially in emerging sectors such as AI, precision medicine and offshore wind.
The aim is to enable firms to scale more quickly while maintaining interoperability and international credibility.
“Standards and conformance are not just about compliance – they are a strategic lever for growth. With the S&C 2035 roadmap, we are accelerating how Singapore businesses adopt standards earlier, innovate faster, and access global markets with greater ease,
“At the same time, we are strengthening Singapore’s role as
a trusted quality hub,” said Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General, Quality and Excellence Group, EnterpriseSG.
“Beyond our strong foundation in health, safety and environment, we are looking at emerging areas such as AI governance and sustainability, where credibility and interoperability are increasingly critical,” she added.
The roadmap is anchored on three pillars: driving economic growth through standards adoption, building a future-ready testing and certification ecosystem, and strengthening Singapore’s role as a trusted partner in global standards networks.
Under the AI-focused agenda, Singapore is stepping up efforts to shape early-stage global norms before formal regulation is established, a process often referred to as “pre-standardization.”
As part of this effort, EnterpriseSG signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding with the British Standards Institution, Korea’s Agency for Technology and Standards, Standards Australia and the Standards Council of Canada. The agreement aims to bridge gaps between the rapid pace of AI development and slower formal standard-setting processes.
Separately, Singapore also signed a cooperation agreement with the American National Standards Institute to deepen collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including AI and quantum technologies.
The push into AI standards comes as governments worldwide race to establish governance frameworks for generative AI, large language models and autonomous systems, with concerns over safety, ethics and interoperability.
International standards bodies welcomed Singapore’s initiative. International Organization for Standardization Secretary-General Sergio Mujica said standards remain “the common language of international trade,” adding that Singapore’s approach strengthens global cooperation in addressing shared technological challenges.
International Electrotechnical Commission President Jim Matthews also highlighted the importance of consensus-based frameworks in supporting innovation in digital technologies and energy systems.
Beyond AI, Singapore also signed additional agreements with Vietnam and Indonesia to strengthen regional capacity in AI standards and conformance, alongside partnerships with carbon standards bodies Gold Standard Foundation and Verra to enhance sustainability assurance frameworks.
EnterpriseSG said these collaborations will reinforce Singapore’s position as a trusted regional hub for digital trade, carbon services and emerging technology governance.