Last Friday, Huawei announced that it has launched Singapore’s first 5G-powered Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab at Changi Business Park.
The lab contains facilities that offer 5G support, from Proof of Concepts (POCs) to free trials, with a 5G test-bed and Huawei’s Cloud platform.
It also supports AI enablement through offline AI developer kits, as well as Huawei’s ModelArts AI Platform, to support AI R&D efforts.
According to a press release, Huawei has launched the AI lab on the back of Singapore’s National AI Strategy announced 13 Nov, during which Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat shared that the Government had committed “more than S$500 million to fund AI activities under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 (RIE2020) plan”.
Said Neo Teck Guan, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Cloud Asia Pacific Region: “At Huawei, we believe that AI and its solutions should be accessible to everyone, and that the convergence of AI, Cloud, and 5G, lays the foundation of the technology ecosystem for the digital economy of the future.”
Through the AI lab, Huawei is planning to “enable Singapore’s industry players, with a focus on local SMEs, to boost Singapore’s AI capabilities”.
Huawei is also launching its talent, innovation, and Singapore-China bridging programmes through this lab.
Via its talent programme, Huawei aims to address the 5G and AI talent crunch in Singapore.
Huawei will be launching its 1+3+n programme, which aims to cultivate 100 AI architects and 1,000 AI developers in Singapore over the next three years.
Huawei has also inked a collaboration with CapitaLand and Business China for its Youth Interns Exchange Scheme.
Under this scheme, Singapore university students will be offered internship opportunities in China and Singapore from 2020.
Huawei has also signed five memorandum of understandings (MoU) with Nanyang Polytechnic; MI Robotic, Navinfo Datatech, OTSAW and Neolix Technologies; Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) and Shanghai Enfon Robotics Co; and local AR and VR firms Riverlab and Hellohold to work on various projects.
These projects range from port applications to autonomous vehicles and 5G immersive applications for smart manufacturing.