Singapore will invest more than S$1 billion (US$786 million) over the next five years to build national research capacity in artificial intelligence, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) announced. The funding, directed through the National AI Research and Development Plan (NAIRD), will run from 2025 to 2030 and is aimed at strengthening the country’s public-sector AI research ecosystem, Channel News Asia reported.
The plan was unveiled by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the Singapore AI Research Week 2026 gala dinner, where she positioned the initiative as a core pillar of Singapore’s broader AI ambitions under National AI Strategy (NAIS) 2.0. According to Channel News Asia, the government sees the investment as a way to accelerate breakthroughs in AI science, support advanced computing needs and expand domestic talent in critical research fields.
Singapore’s first national AI plan launched in 2019 and focused on applied AI projects in healthcare, education, logistics, security and municipal operations. NAIS 2.0, announced in 2023 by then–Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, set more expansive goals, including more than tripling Singapore’s AI practitioner workforce to 15,000 and making the city-state a global hub for AI creators and researchers.
The new S$1 billion commitment draws from the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) latest S$37 billion research, innovation and enterprise budget, unveiled in December 2025, following a previous S$28 billion tranche. NRF said the larger package would support talent development and harness AI as a “transformative force” across Singapore’s economy over the next five years, Channel News Asia reported.
The updated strategy arrives amid intensifying global competition to secure AI talent, compute resources and research leadership. Singapore officials have argued that sustained public research spending is necessary to ensure long-term resilience in a fast-moving technological landscape and to position the country as a trusted hub for advanced AI development.
Need Help?
If you have questions or concerns about any global guidelines, regulations and laws, don’t hesitate to reach out to BABL AI. Their Audit Experts can offer valuable insight, and ensure you’re informed and compliant.
