BUSINESS TECH | Singapore unveils master-plan for expansive digital infrastructure

Ahead of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG), the region’s most influential technology event, Josephine Teo, Singapore’s minister for Communications and Information launched Singapore’s Digital Connectivity Blueprint (DCB) that sets the direction for the next bound of Singapore’s digital connectivity. Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has also partnered Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch a Joint Innovation Centre (JIC), a first-in-Southeast Asia and IMDA has also appointed 18 high potential tech professionals as SG Digital Leaders under the SG Digital Leadership Accelerator.

Singapore’s digital future

Developed in consultation with the Advisory Panel on Digital Infrastructure, co-chaired by Dr. Janil Puthucheary, Singapore’s senior minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Irving Tan, executive vice president of Global Operations at Western Digital, and other industry partners, the Blueprint outlines the strategic priorities and moves into new frontiers to stay ahead of the curve. Singapore will continue to invest ahead of demand, and holistically plan for the entire digital infrastructure stack – hard infrastructure, physical-digital infrastructure, and soft infrastructure, to ensure that the digital infrastructure is future ready.

Singapore is committed to stay ahead by growing the digital connectivity to create better lives and exciting opportunities for its people and enterprises. Singapore will double down on the following strategic priorities:

1. Provide capacity to enable submarine cable landings to double within the next ten years.
2. Build seamless end-to-end 10 Gbps domestic connectivity within the next five years.
3. Ensure world-class resilience and security for the digital infrastructure.
4. Pioneer a roadmap for growth of new Green Data Centres and push the sustainability envelope.
5. Drive greater adoption of the Singapore Digital Utility Stack, to expand the benefits of seamless digital transactions.

In addition, Singapore will make moves in more nascent and frontier areas to reap future opportunities:

1. Advance the vision of a Quantum-safe Singapore within the next ten years.
2. Put in place foundations for pervasive autonomy.
3. “Green software”, to mitigate intensified compute by building the nascent ecosystem for sustainable software.
4. Enable innovative solutions in key industries with Low Earth Orbit satellite services.
The Blueprint serves as a strong foundation upon which Singapore can realize better opportunities, stronger trust and empowered communities.

SG digital leaders in 2023

In addition, Tan Kiat How, Singapore’s senior minister of state, Ministry of Communications and Information met with 18 Singaporeans from 16 companies who were appointed as SG Digital Leaders. This is part of IMDA’s efforts to groom Singaporean leaders in the tech ecosystem to take on leadership in the digital economy.

The SG Digital Leaders are founders of high-growth tech start-ups, leaders in large companies (MNCs), and innovators building tech products for the world. These leaders come from diverse backgrounds, lead regional teams, and specialize in product development with backgrounds in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), data, software, and engineering.

The SG Digital Leadership Accelerator aims to build a strong community of Singaporean digital leaders for the tech ecosystem, and it does so by bringing together emerging leaders in different stages of their careers to support one another on their professional and personal leadership journeys. Through the network, the SG Digital Leadership Accelerator will fast-track leadership development of IMDA’s SG Digital Leaders and SG Digital Scholars. The program will provide networking opportunities, mentorship from global tech leaders and allow these leaders in turn to mentor the younger Singaporeans in the ecosystem.

IMDA-AWS Joint Innovation Centre

IMDA and Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched the first Joint Innovation Centre (JIC) in Southeast Asia on 5 June 2023. This physical space housed within IMDA’s Innovation Hub, PIXEL – one of the leading launch pads for corporate and start-ups in the region, is equipped with specialized labs including AR/VR, 5G, and usability testing facilities, and will connect corporates and start-ups across Southeast Asia.

To inspire corporates and public sector organizations to accelerate industry innovation, and to support the growth of promising start-ups, the JIC will provide exclusive access to the latest tech showcases and demonstrations, innovation methodology for successful adoption and deployment, PIXEL’s workshops for design thinking, over 200 fully featured AWS technology for experimentation, and project-based consultation by IMDA and AWS’s experts.

With the aim of increased adoption of tech solutions, the JIC is also a connection to IMDA’s and AWS’ network of corporates and start-ups across Southeast Asia. They will also benefit from the AWS Partner Network, which will provide corporates and start-ups access to customers in various industries including government, education, and healthcare, in Singapore and internationally. The partners can accelerate their development with AWS, tap into AWS Partner Programs, list their software on AWS Marketplace, and enjoy dedicated support for co-selling opportunities.

Refreshed every four to six months, the JIC will feature tech solutions that are built on AWS and from start-ups that are part of IMDA’s initiatives such as the Accreditation and Spark programmes. Debuting on the launch day are AWS’s Generative AI model image creation, IMDA’s Programs start-ups – Virspatial’s digital twin solution for efficient energy management, H3 Zoom AI’s machine learning solution to automate interior inspection for built environment, and Pindrop’s AI-based solution for anti-fraud and accurate customer authentication via voice recognition.

Powered by AWS and tech advisory under IMDA’s Tech Acceleration Lab, companies can also develop Proof-of-Concept projects in a sandbox environment involving both private and public sectors.

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