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| Source: IMDA. Singapore Senior Minister of State Tan delivered opening remarks at ATxEnterprise on May 27. |
New partnerships with industry giants Alibaba Cloud, Prudential and ST Engineering will give more local SMEs access to cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and cybersecurity, announced Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information in Singapore, at the opening of ATxEnterprise.
Senior Minister Tan also launched two new talent programmes that will provide upskilling opportunities and create specialised AI career pathways for locals. The programmes will train AI practitioners* ahead of demand as Singapore ramps up on accelerating generative AI (gen AI) adoption across the enterprise ecosystem, strengthening the nation’s position as a global AI hub.
More than 7,200 Singapore SMEs have already embraced AI-enabled, integrated and cloud-based solutions in the past year. IMDA will build on this momentum and align with Singapore’s Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB) through three new partnerships that strengthen AI adoption and boost cyber resilience across the SME landscape. Since its launch in May 2024, the DEB has benefitted over 10,000 enterprises under its four key focus areas: Be Smarter, Scale Faster, Be Safer, and Upskilling Workers.
Strengthen cloud and AI expertise
Up to 3,000 SMEs and digital solution providers will receive support to raise cloud and AI capabilities through the Alibaba Cloud Digital Accelerator Programme. This initiative equips businesses with practical cloud experience and technical resources, including support through cloud credits, technical training workshops, expert consultations, and trial access to Alibaba’s Cloud AI Model Studio.
The commitment from Alibaba Cloud includes:
- Providing cloud resource support through cloud credits to accelerate cloud adoption. Eight hundred SMEs will receive US$1,000 cloud credits each while 200 digital solutions providers will also receive US$1,000 cloud credits each.
- Conducting six AI-related technical training workshops and quarterly technical consultations sessions
- Offering a 30-day trial to Alibaba Cloud AI Model Studio
- Delivering engagement and outreach activities such as co-marketing campaigns and events to promote awareness on cloud technologies and AI.
Selina Yuan, President, Alibaba Cloud International & VP, Alibaba Group said: “As a global leader in cloud computing and AI innovation, Alibaba Cloud brings world-class technology and deep industry expertise to empower Singapore’s SMEs on their digital journey. We are honoured to collaborate with IMDA to support the government’s vision of a vibrant digital economy. We are not only enabling businesses to adopt advanced cloud and AI tools but also fostering an ecosystem of continuous learning and digital resilience that will position Singapore as a leading Smart Nation in the years ahead.”
Enhance gen AI adoption
AI has been an area of focus for Prudential. With the establishment of the global Prudential AI Lab in 2024, it has strengthened its AI expertise and accelerated the adoption of AI, gen AI, and machine learning across the organisation and the broader community.
SMEs are also a focus for the company. Since 2020, Prudential has supported SMEs through its SME Skills Accelerator programme, helping them upskill, reskill and stay future-ready. With the new GenAI XPonential programme, Prudential is taking this commitment further by equipping SMEs with practical knowledge and hands-on experience to adopt gen AI in their businesses, supported by guidance on available government support schemes and real-world case studies.
Under the GenAI Xponential Programme, Prudential Singapore in partnership with its Talent Engagement Ecosystem partner, Republic Polytechnic, will produce a series of up to 10 gen AI tech explainer videos tailored for SMEs, and conduct up to four workshops to help SMEs learn more about IMDA’s pre-approved gen AI solutions as well as to promote adoption.
Ben Tan, Chief Distribution Officer, Prudential Singapore said: “Having been a long-time supporter of SMEs through our SME Skills Accelerator Programme, we are proud to deepen our commitment by giving them access to the latest technologies such as generative AI.
"Through practical explainer videos and hands-on masterclasses conducted by us and Republic Polytechnic, our Talent Engagement Ecosystem partner, we aim to equip SMEs with the knowledge and skills to apply gen AI meaningfully in their businesses. These efforts are part of the GenAI XPonential initiative, delivered in partnership with IMDA, to help SMEs innovate, grow, and stay competitive in today’s digital economy.”
SME CyberResilience Programme
ST Engineering's SME CyberResilience Programme will help SMEs pinpoint threats in their endpoint devices and equip them with practical knowledge and tools to identify cyber risks, adopt stronger cyber hygiene, and enhance their overall security posture.
The initiative will provide up to 2,000 SMEs with a one-time complimentary cyberthreat scanning service across up to 10 endpoints through IMDA's CTO-as-a-Service platform. Interested SMEs can sign up at https://go.gov.sg/sme-cyberresilience-programme to receive a detailed cyberthreat scan report covering application hygiene; threat detection; baseline security posture, and recommendations for improvement.
ST Engineering will also conduct cybersecurity awareness events to educate up to 2,000 SMEs on the latest threat landscape and strategies to bolster cyberdefence. The CTO-as-a-Service platform will host event updates.
Said Goh Eng Choon, President of Cyber, ST Engineering: “Limited resources and lack of in-house cybersecurity expertise make it tough for SMEs to manage risks, underscoring the need for greater support to strengthen their cyberdefences. Through the SME CyberResilience Programme, we champion efforts to raise awareness, offering complimentary cyberthreat scanning service, guidance and support for up to 2,000 SMEs to boost their cyber resilience.”
IMDA is also strengthening existing partnerships with AWS and Microsoft to accelerate frontier technology adoption for digitally-mature SMEs (DMEs).
According to IMDA, DMEs may still face challenges when deploying and sustaining the use of emerging technology like gen AI to meet their complex business needs. IMDA’s GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative was launched in 2024 with the aim to help DMEs build digital capabilities and overcome these key challenges. IMDA, together with AWS and Microsoft, have worked with over 200 enterprises to date, equipping them with deeper technical understanding of gen AI and providing greater access to tech expertise and advice on deploying gen AI solutions.
A number of these DMEs have since gone on to develop and deploy customised gen AI solutions. IMDA is currently supporting 50 DMEs with project implementations that deliver concrete business impact - generating an estimated productivity increase of as high as 50% and annual cost savings of up to S$300,000.
IMDA is strengthening its collaboration with AWS and Microsoft to continue the momentum and build on findings that more than half of the current gen AI use cases among DMEs are in customer engagement, knowledge mining, and content generation. Together, the three organisations are setting aside more resources over the next one year to:
- Double the number of Tech Discovery Workshops and personalised Tech Deep-Dive sessions,
- Increase one-on-one consultation opportunities, enabling a more comprehensive translation of business needs into technical requirements;
- Reduce development costs and deployment time for customised gen AI solutions by 50% through the use of cutting-edge development tools with pre-built modules designed for common gen AI use cases; and,
- Provide enterprises access to expanded technical expertise, including subject matter experts, model developers, and implementation partners, along with additional resources such as computing power and cloud credits.
The enhanced initiative aims to benefit more than 1,000 DMEs and support up to 500 gen AI projects over the coming year, focusing on the three key business use cases identified and leveraging the latest technology to achieve its goals.
"Our strengthened collaboration with IMDA represents a pivotal shift from AI aspiration to acceleration," said Elsie Tan, Amazon Web Services, Worldwide Public Sector, Country Leader, Singapore.
"We're at a defining moment where generative AI must translate into tangible business outcomes. Through cutting-edge solutions like Amazon Q Developer and enhanced technical support, we're democratising AI adoption – making it not just accessible, but actionable. This partnership embodies our vision of empowering organisations to bridge the gap between AI innovation and implementation, creating a new standard for business transformation in Singapore. We are building the AI foundations for tomorrow’s digital success.”
"Microsoft is pleased to deepen our collaboration with IMDA to support the next wave of digitally mature SMEs on their generative AI journey. By working closely with our ecosystem of partners to co-develop AI solutions tailored to the needs of SMEs, we are enabling faster deployment, greater scalability, and more impactful business outcomes. This enhanced phase of the initiative will help businesses build the capabilities they need to improve productivity, accelerate innovation, and thrive in an increasingly digital economy," said Cynthia Yeo, acting MD, Microsoft Singapore.
DMEs will gain enhanced access to technical expertise, including subject matter experts and model developers, backed by essential resources such as compute power and cloud credits. This comprehensive support structure will enable DMEs to transform their strategic business needs and objectives into practical gen AI solutions more efficiently and cost-effectively, marking a significant step in Singapore’s digital enterprise ecosystem.
Through the TechSkills Accelerator’s (TeSA's) Company-Led Training programme, IMDA has met demand for AI talent, securing 400 local AI Practitioner roles through collaborations with companies such as AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Singtel. Under this collaboration, locals will be hired and trained to take on AI practitioner roles.
IMDA is now partnering with AI Singapore (AISG) and the industry to launch two new frontier training programmes that are expected to generate another 400 AI Practitioner job and training opportunities for locals:
AI Apprenticeship Programme (Industry), or AIAP(I)
Set to launch in June 2025, the six-month AIAP(I), developed in collaboration with AISG, builds upon AISG’s proven core teaching methodology. It is is industry-focused, and offers an accelerated route to become industry-ready AI/ML engineers. It equips participants with critical AI, data, and machine learning skills, followed by the opportunity to hone their skills in real-world projects contributed by AI centres of excellence (COEs). Specific skillsets include computer vision, natural language processing, as well as AI ethics and governance. The AIAP(I) aims to train 300 AI Practitioners in batches over two years. Upon completion, trainees will be ready for hiring by COEs and leading companies.
"Grab has always been deeply committed to nurturing AI talent and fostering a culture of continuous learning across the organisation. We believe that the AIAP (Industry) is a good initiative by the government to grow the pool of AI engineers in Singapore. It has been our privilege to help shape the programme's curriculum, and we are excited to explore further opportunities to contribute to its success,” said Nikhil Dwarakanath, Head of Data and Analytics, Grab.
“SAP is proud to have partnered with IMDA for many years, supporting key initiatives such as the SG Digital Leadership strategy. Over the last three years, SAP managers and leaders have provided mentorship, internship, and job opportunities to IMDA Young Digital leaders, some of whom have joined SAP as full-time employees," disclosed Manik Narayan Saha, MD - SAP Labs Singapore & Vietnam.
"As an extension of this strong partnership, SAP Labs Singapore, with its strengths in AI engineering, will support the renewed AISG initiative by involving programme participants in key AI projects, enabling them to gain deep practical experience in AI engineering capabilities.”
Pinnacle AI Industry Programme (PAIP)
IMDA has partnered AISG’s SEA-LION team to develop the PAIP in response to the future need for deeper technical expertise such as advanced AI model building and finetuning as AI adoption matures. This intensive six-month full-time programme will upskill 100 local AI practitioners in frontier companies into expert model builders over three years.
The PAIP is targeted at frontier companies that build or finetune their own enterprise large language models (LLMs) and need to further upskill their local AI talent to take on these specialised activities. Eligible companies may nominate their current AI practitioners for the programme – these practitioners will undergo full-time training while being employed.
During the six-month programme, to be launched 2H25, trainees can expect to build deep technical expertise in the LLM development lifecycle, including data management and model pre-training, post-training and evaluation. They will also be embedded with AISG’s SEA-LION engineering teams to gain hands-on experience and further hone their skills by working on SEA-LION projects. Trainees will also have the opportunity to rotate across various teams, gaining exposure to different aspects of AI model development and deployment life cycle.
AISG further launched the first Pan-Southeast Asia AI Developer Challenge, which will unite regional developers in building practical AI solutions using AI models like SEA-LION. This initiative will empower developers to create scalable AI solutions in the region, bringing meaningful impact for our society and region.
Manik Bhandari, EY Asean Data and Artificial Intelligence Leader commented: “Singapore continues to be a leader in advancing AI literacy and upskilling its workforce for the future economy, as well as strengthening support for SMEs looking to integrate AI into their operations.
“As a firm that partners with organisations to implement effective and responsible AI strategies, we believe that the true potential of AI is in how it empowers people, as well as how it changes business models. Already our research shows that 75% of employees use gen AI at work, a marked increase from just 22% in 2023. Being at the forefront of real-world AI implementation, we have seen how investing in human capability is essential—because AI should augment, not replace, human skills.”
Bhandari added: “The incentives announced (May 27) deliver particular benefit to the economy because of their emphasis on smaller enterprises, which are often resource-constrained and invariably face challenges in building AI applications themselves. They should also have broad impact by covering the whole AI value chain, including cloud, safety and talent.
“By equipping workers with the skills and confidence to master AI, as well as giving SMEs the resources and support to accelerate their AI adoption, the government is laying the foundation for a more inclusive, innovative and resilient economy. This meets immediate commercial needs as well as preparing Singapore for capturing the next wave of growth opportunities over the longer term.”
Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) is Asia’s leading technology event jointly organised by IMDA and Informa. The event comprises three main segments, ATxSummit, ATxEnterprise and ATxInspire.
*Under the National AI Strategy 2.0 (NAIS 2.0), Singapore is committed to building skilled AI talent in three categories:
- AI creators, who are top-tier talent engaged in novel and cutting-edge AI activities;
- AI practitioners, such as AI and machine learning (ML) engineers who implement and deploy AI systems, models and algorithms; and
- AI users, the broad base of the Singapore workforce who are equipped and confident to leverage AI-powered solutions and services to increase productivity and take up more impactful work.
Since AI practitioners form the backbone of an AI ecosystem, Singapore aims to triple its pool of practitioners from 5,000 to 15,000 over five years. Over 2024, IMDA's efforts to develop talent have grown the pool of AI practitioners by 25%. IMDA has done this through working with institutes of higher learning to ensure that information and digital technology graduates are AI-ready, and upskilling the workforce through the TeSA initiative. TeSA has placed more than 20,000 locals into tech jobs and trained more than 320,000 individuals in tech skills.
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