Plaud, a maker of AI-powered voice-recording devices, has opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore and pledged to invest at least S$20 million (US$16 million), doubling a commitment it made earlier this year.

In a statement on Wednesday, Plaud said the money would expand engineering, product development, and regional operations. The firm had grown its Singapore team roughly tenfold, to about 100 people, in nine months. The new office, at Marina Bay Financial Centre, covers 15,000 square feet.

Singapore serves as Plaud’s base for 12 markets across the Asia-Pacific, outside Japan and mainland China, the San Francisco-based company said.

Plaud makes small devices that record conversations and use AI to turn them into structured notes. It has grown from $1 million to $100 million in annual recurring revenue within two years of launching in 2023. The infrastructure serves more than 2.5 million users worldwide.

Chief Executive Nathan Xu said Singapore’s mix of languages and dialects made it a demanding testing ground for conversational AI. Singapore can also serve as a base to build products for global markets.

Lionel Lim, a vice president at the Economic Development Board, said Plaud’s presence would strengthen Singapore’s position as a hub for AI development.

Google Cloud opens Singapore Engineering Center to build AI and cloud products for global markets