Singapore – Multinational software company SAP has announced that it has recently expanded its Digital Innovation Accelerator in Singapore.
For this initiative, the company will invest a total of S$12m to focus on developing practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in industry-specific scenarios. This will be supported by the Digital Industry Singapore and be initially centred on advanced manufacturing, financial services, and travel and logistics services.
According to the firm, SAP has committed almost S$300m since 2019 to further establish business AI and other deep tech in Singapore. This move encompasses the creation of Southeast Asia’s first SAP Labs in 2022 and Asia’s first innovation centre for experience management (XM) in 2023.
SAP Business AI is built into the SAP applications that power critical business processes for customers across Asia Pacific and Japan. It comprises a range of AI innovations developed using extensive industry-specific data and deep process knowledge, all created using responsible AI practices.
Talking about the expansion effort, Eileen Chua, managing director at SAP Singapore, shared, “Singapore is significantly investing to future-proof its citizens and businesses through initiatives like the National AI Strategy, workforce development programs like SkillsFuture, and its Net Zero ambitions.”
She then continued, “SAP’s vision to boost local research and innovation will only strengthen the ongoing mission to sharpen Singapore organisations’ competitive advantage on the global stage.”
“Co-innovation initiatives like our Digital Innovation Accelerator are aimed at enabling SAP and our customers to rapidly scale digital transformation by tapping into our global expertise and ecosystems. Over the past five years, we’ve co-developed solutions with more than 80 Singapore enterprises, achieving tangible impact in their business processes and international growth,” added Chua.
Meanwhile, Philbert Gomez, executive director and head at Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), said, “SAP has been a longstanding partner in developing Singapore’s digital ecosystem. The Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) supports the adoption of AI across industries to increase the competitiveness of businesses. We are delighted to partner with SAP in the expansion of its Digital Innovation Accelerator, which will work with industry leaders to develop, prototype, and scale AI solutions to advance their sustainability goals from Singapore.”
With the recently expanded SAP Digital Innovation Accelerator, industry leaders are set to work with a dedicated team of in-house SAP business architects, data experts, and developers to establish AI use cases customised for their unique business scenarios.
In particular, the firm said that the Accelerator team will have an additional focus on sustainability to further foster positive climate action outcomes through the application of AI and SAP’s sustainability solutions for use cases. This strategy includes enhanced environmental monitoring, reporting, and optimised supply chains.
Khoo Boo Hor, CEO and executive director of precision plastics manufacturer Sunningdale Tech, said, “SAP’s new industry-focused AI development initiative comes at a timely moment for Sunningdale, as we continue to drive long-term sustainable growth. We expect AI-driven solutions to help us make predictions and forecasts with greater accuracy and reduce overproduction and machine underutilisation. We also hope to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance our analysis and usage of corrugated boxes as we strive to reduce wastage across our operations.”
Chua also said, “While AI is only just starting to be applied to climate-related scenarios, leading organisations are already demonstrating the promise of AI for climate impact and delivering results. Combined with SAP’s sustainability solutions, these initiatives aim to support Singapore to achieve Net Zero by 2050.”
Additionally, the firm also revealed that it has invested in and launched eight free AI foundational courses and plans to introduce certification courses on business AI later this year.
These educational initiatives could be traced back to their significant collaborations with the Singapore Government under the SkillsFuture program to support and upskill over 1,000 mid-career professionals to teach practical and hands-on digital skills.
“These new, ongoing, and upcoming initiatives are testament of SAP’s continuous commitment to build Singapore’s digital and technology capabilities across all sectors and levels of the economy, from shaping budding talents to transforming mature enterprises. We look forward to extending our long-term partnership with Singapore to build the future of AI-enabled enterprises,” concluded Chua.
