Singapore keen to work with more partners to boost AI-enabled manufacturing: DPM Heng 

SINGAPORE - Singapore is looking to work with more like-minded partners to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled manufacturing for a greener and more sustainable future, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. 

These partnerships are a “critical enabler” of the Republic’s manufacturing ambitions, noted DPM Heng in a speech on Oct 14.

“Such partnerships allow us to develop our respective strengths and support one another in navigating some of the difficult adjustments that come with transformation,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (Itap) 2024 event. 

This comes as Singapore remains on track to achieve its goals of increasing manufacturing value-added by 50 per cent between 2020 and 2030, and positioning itself as a critical global node for advanced manufacturing.

At the event at the Singapore Expo, themed “Shaping a Sustainable Future with AI-Powered Manufacturing”, DPM Heng said that the manufacturing sector globally accounts for around one fifth of global carbon emissions, so it is critical that the sector contributes and uses new green and sustainable solutions to boost global efforts to combat climate change.

Another key trend will be the transformative impact of AI on the sector, which accounts for around 20 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.

In his speech, DPM Heng announced several initiatives and outlined ways local and overseas organisations can collaborate with the local manufacturing ecosystem.

For example, Singapore and its partners have to work together to broaden platforms that translate scientific insights into “practical, innovative and viable” solutions. 

To that end, the Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Innovation was launched on Oct 14 by Enterprise Singapore, in collaboration with A*Star’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology and four polytechnics – Nanyang, Ngee Ann, Singapore and Temasek.

The centre aims to support more than 800 Singapore companies from the advanced manufacturing sector over the next two years, in more than 100 joint innovation projects to generate new revenue streams. 

Such projects could include the development of certain chips to advance commercial medical products in the healthcare sector, and leveraging real-time machining data to support smart factory projects.

DPM Heng said that the new centre builds on previous centres of innovation set up by Singapore’s government agencies and institutes of higher learning, and will expand support to emerging needs such as AI and autonomous technologies. 

Companies can collaborate with these institutes to develop and tap new products or solutions and improve their business competitiveness and offerings, he said. 

Another aspect of potential partnerships which DPM Heng cited is in forging collaborations that will equip workers in the manufacturing sector with the relevant skills and proficiencies to harness new technologies like AI. 

On that front, he announced the launch of a new Singapore Workforce Institute of Future Transformation (Swift) on Oct 14. 

Swift will provide project-based training and equip industrial workers with future-ready skills for the evolving manufacturing landscape, especially in AI and sustainability. It aims to leverage A*Star’s technology expertise and is a joint collaboration between A*Star, SkillsFuture Singapore and the Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy.

“Workforce transformation must be part of economic transformation to ensure that workers are not left behind,” said DPM Heng.

“As AI transforms economic activity, we must prepare workers to identify opportunities where human ingenuity, human creativity and machine intelligence can complement each other, and to deepen their skills and talent, for greater efficiency, productivity and creativity.”

To kick-start Swift, a new mentorship-based “Green Transformation Programme” was launched on Oct 14 by A*Star, the Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

Supported by SkillsFuture Singapore, the programme will guide companies to conduct sustainability assessments and develop technology proof-of-concepts.

This approach trains the companies’ workers while also jumpstarting their sustainability journeys, said DPM Heng. 

He also highlighted the need for partnerships to drive scientific and technological advancements that can spark innovation in manufacturing, adding that research institutions in Asia and globally are deepening their work in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary areas.

One area is to promote greater circularity in the use of resources, he said. For example, A*Star is advancing innovation in key areas such as battery materials, manufacturing processes, and battery end-of-life management.

At the event on Oct 14, Singapore Polytechnic also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers to foster stronger industry-academia ties and cultivate industry-ready graduates.

The Itap event runs till Oct 16 and is expected to host about 18,000 attendees, including entrepreneurs, leading industry players and those from government agencies, from more than 30 countries.