Singapore announced a series of new artificial intelligence initiatives and global partnerships at ATxSummit 2026, signaling a shift toward large-scale deployment of AI systems across public services, enterprise, manufacturing, and robotics.

In a statement on Tuesday, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the move can strengthen Singapore’s position as a global AI hub focused on developing, testing, and deploying real-world AI applications.

One of the major announcements was the launch of Singapore’s first large-scale physical AI testbed at Punggol Digital District (PDD). The initiative, led by the IMDA, JTC, and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), will allow companies to test robotics and embodied AI systems in a mixed-use public environment.

The testbed will involve companies including Certis, DHL, Grab, and QuikBot, which will trial robotics services such as food and parcel delivery, cleaning, and security patrolling alongside existing human operations. The initiative is facilitated with support from the Land Transport Authority under an exemption framework within the Active Mobility Act.

The IMDA and the National Robotics Program will  collaborate with technology firms including FieldAI, Thoughtworks, Slamtec, Unitree, and QuikBot to develop embodied AI use cases through SIT’s Centre for Intelligent Robotics at PDD.

Separately, NVIDIA announced plans to launch a new AI research lab in Singapore focused on embodied AI and efficient AI computing. The lab, NVIDIA’s second research presence in the Asia-Pacific region, will work with universities, industry partners, and government agencies on AI applications in manufacturing.

The summit also featured several new international AI partnerships. Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Google announced an expanded National AI Partnership focused on deploying frontier AI in areas such as public services, workforce development, and AI governance.

The MDDI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OpenAI to launch the “OpenAI for Singapore” initiative. The partnership includes commitments exceeding S$300 million ($234.2 million) and focuses on applied AI innovation, AI talent development, and wider access to AI tools across the public and private sectors.

Temus, a Temasek-established digital transformation firm, announced plans to launch an AI Foundry to support enterprise AI deployment and talent development. The initiative will hire 50 professionals across AI and engineering roles and focus on projects in sectors including financial services and healthcare. Temus also plans to collaborate with AI Singapore on AI prototypes and enterprise deployment frameworks.

Singapore’s AI ecosystem initiatives also include updates to MERaLiON, the AI model developed by A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research. The new MERaLiON AudioLLM v3 will expand speech and non-speech understanding capabilities across Southeast Asian languages and support deployment on cloud and edge computing devices, including Apple silicon hardware.

On AI governance, Singapore updated its Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI with new case studies and operational guidance based on contributions from more than 50 organizations, including AWS, DBS, Google, and Salesforce.

Google, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), GovTech Singapore, and IMDA also released a joint whitepaper on AI agents following tests conducted through an AI Agents Sandbox launched in 2025. The paper outlines recommendations for the safe deployment of AI agents in practical environments.

The summit concluded with an ASEAN-US AI Ministerial Roundtable attended by ASEAN digital ministers, the US government, and industry representatives from Amazon and Google. Discussions focused on AI adoption, skills development, and regional AI assurance frameworks.

Singapore expands AI push through new national partnership with Google