Global tech company Dyson will be hiring 250 engineers and scientists in Singapore over the next five years as part of its £2.75 billion (S$5.06 billion) global investment in future technology.

The hirings will support its ambitions to enter new fields, and develop a new generation of high-performing technology products with increasing intelligence, Dyson said in a press statement yesterday.

This investment illustrates "the central role Singapore plays in Dyson's ambitious plans in the fields of software, electronics, robotics, next-generation motor technology, intelligent products, machine learning, connectivity and cyber security", the company added.

It will shortly be moving to St James Power Station in Sentosa Gateway.

Restoration works have been completed, and work to equip the iconic 110,000 sq ft national monument as its new global headquarters is under way, Dyson said.

At the same time, the firm will retain its Singapore Technology Centre in Singapore Science Park 1.

The centre will evolve into a hub for digital, engineering and global cyber-security efforts.

A new cyber-fusion centre there will focus on future technologies, undertaking research and development in frontier areas such as operational technologies and the Internet of Things.

Singapore is housing Dyson's global headquarters and is a hub for its engineering teams, as well as commercial, advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations.

About 1,400 Dyson people work in Singapore. Nearly half are engineers and scientists.

Founder and chief engineer James Dyson said: "Pioneering minds working in inspiring spaces will find technology-based solutions to big problems.

"We are in a race to develop patentable technologies which will power our future products, and we hope that Singapore's most enterprising and creative engineers will consider joining our team."

Dyson chief executive Roland Krueger said: "Singapore is already our engineering and manufacturing centre as well as our global headquarters, with all the commercial and operational focus that it brings.

"We are creating new roles - doubling our software and electronics teams, as well as establishing a new global cyber-security centre which will be critical as our products become more complex and intelligent."

Dr Beh Swan Gin, chairman of the Economic Development Board, said that Dyson's expansion is "testament to its confidence in Singapore and to our attractiveness as a location to develop new technologies and new products".

"Dyson's operations in Singapore provide exciting opportunities for Singaporeans to harness their skills and ingenuity to work on cutting-edge research and development," he said.

Jolene Ang