Singapore working towards greener AI while growing its adoption here: Josephine Teo
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As AI computing is energy intensive, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said the need for greener AI is “not trivial”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SINGAPORE – Singapore is exploring ways to make artificial intelligence (AI) more energy efficient as the country expands its adoption of such technology across various industries, said Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on May 11.
She was speaking to reporters from New York in a virtual interview after concluding a five-day work trip from May 7 to 11 in the United States, where she shared Singapore’s efforts in promoting AI innovation.
The trip, which saw Mrs Teo also engage various AI interest groups to get their feedback, took place after the launch of the National AI Strategy 2.0.
One of the topics discussed during her meetings with stakeholders in the technology sector was how Singapore, as an AI hub, can continue to tap the latest innovations while keeping to the country’s climate commitments.
As AI computing is energy intensive,
Data centres, the backbone of AI computations, are notorious for their high energy demands. The carbon emissions from these centres, which often rely on fossil fuels, contribute to global warming.
Singapore has 100 data centres as at September 2023.
The International Energy Agency estimated that the electricity consumption of data centres around the world could reach more than 1,000 terawatt hours in 2026. This is roughly equal to what Japan consumes annually.
Mrs Teo, citing the Digital Connectivity Blueprint launched in June 2023,
She said some of the companies she met during her US trip may be able to create new chips that run AI computations using less energy.
She added: “We have invited these companies to visit Singapore... We will link them up with AI practitioners who are keen to try out the new chips, to see whether our AI workloads can be carried out efficiently.”
If these chips are effective, the next step would be to make them available in Singapore, said Mrs Teo.
On May 10, the minister participated in a United Nations roundtable in New York that touched on topics relating to cyber security. This was the first UN roundtable held at a ministerial level.
When asked about cyber attacks in Singapore in recent years that led to stolen information and internet outages, Mrs Teo said the nation should never stop trying to do better.
She said the Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill that was passed in Parliament on May 7
Under the updated laws, these operators will need to declare any cyber-security outage and attack faced on their premises or along their supply chain, as long as it affects their services.
Mrs Teo noted that cyber-security risks are not bound by geography, and many such attacks are carried out by bad actors operating beyond Singapore’s borders.
“You cannot hope to secure cyberspace just by taking action on your own. You need other colleagues in the international environment to do likewise,” she added.
She said a global point-of-contact directory for countries to liaise with their foreign counterparts now has 90 member states. It has been in the making for about 20 years.
During her trip, Mrs Teo said she met members of the Biden administration, and they spoke about AI projects to work on together and harmonising international AI governance frameworks.
She also spoke at an AI Expo in Washington on May 7 where she shared Singapore’s strategies towards AI innovation.
The Republic launched its renewed national game plan in December 2023, with a focus on nurturing talent, promoting a thriving AI industry and sustaining it with world-leading infrastructure and research that ensures AI serves the public good.
