Singtel signs smart nation R&D partnership

Chong Vin Nee / eGov Innovation
05 Dec 2017
00:00

Singtel yesterday entered into a five year partnership with Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) aimed at accelerating Singapore's transformation into a smart nation.

Under the partnership, Singtel, NTU Singapore and the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF Singapore) will establish a S$42.4 million ($31.5 million) corporate lab – the Singtel Cognitive and Artificial Intelligence Lab for Enterprises (SCALE@NTU).

This lab will develop applications for use in the areas of public safety, smart urban solutions, transportation, healthcare and manufacturing. The partners, through their collective expertise and resources, aim to accelerate innovation in the fields of AI, advanced data analytics, robotics and smart computing.

The research by SCALE@NTU aims to resolve various challenges faced by cities in keeping their infrastructure facilities in tip top running condition.

With the use of smart sensors embedded with AI, governments can analyze data from infrastructure facilities to decide when it is necessary to conduct maintenance works to achieve optimal performance for these assets.

This could help cut operating costs for cities that currently spend significant amounts on routine maintenance, whilst not compromising on infrastructure quality and performance standards.

Over the next five years, some 100 researchers from Singtel and NTU will work at SCALE@NTU, while another 200 research engineers, graduate and undergraduate students will also be trained in the lab.

The collaboration builds on NTU’s strong expertise in AI and data science, with the university ranked world No. 2 by Nikkei and Elsevier for having the most-cited research papers in these areas.

Singtel and A*STAR will also work together on projects including smart building automation systems, robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) applications that could help boost operating efficiencies in various industries.

Robots can be deployed to handle biohazardous waste, allowing companies to assign their employees to undertake higher value-added jobs. Such technologies can be tested in a model factory to be set up by A*STAR next year.

“As businesses face the rising threat of technological disruptions, companies are constantly seeking innovative ways to gain deeper insights through data analytics, better engage their customers and transform their operations through digitalization,” Singtel CEO group enterprise Bill Chang said.

“To help companies address these challenges, we are stepping up our R&D efforts to develop deep capabilities in these focused areas.”

First published in eGov Innovation

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