Google and Singapore expand partnership to accelerate AI impact for the public good

• Collaboration supports Singapore’s ambition to become a global hub for trusted and responsible AI
• Expanded partnership spans healthcare, education, scientific research, enterprise innovation and AI safety initiatives

Google and Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) have expanded their long-standing collaboration through a new National AI Partnership aimed at deploying frontier AI to address societal challenges, strengthen workforce readiness, drive enterprise innovation and support the development of a secure AI ecosystem.

The partnership seeks to advance Singapore’s National AI Strategy by accelerating AI deployment at scale for economic growth and public good. The Memorandum of Understanding, led by MDDI, builds on a 2022 agreement with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, which marked Singapore’s first public-private AI partnership focused on AI innovation.

A key focus of the partnership is accelerating research and development efforts in healthcare and life sciences, supported by Google DeepMind’s presence in Singapore as part of its global National Partnerships for AI initiative. These efforts will focus on empowering public agencies and researchers to deploy frontier AI models in high-impact areas, starting with health and life sciences.

In healthcare, Google DeepMind is exploring a collaboration with Singapore’s public health clusters through its global AI co-clinician research initiative. The initiative examines how AI can support doctors in delivering higher-quality care while enabling AI agents to assist patients throughout their healthcare journeys under clinical supervision.

Google DeepMind is also partnering with Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) to train local researchers on agentic AI tools for science. Tools such as Co-Scientist are already showing promise across biomedical applications, while workshops will be conducted to help researchers apply frontier AI tools in scientific discovery.

Separately, Google and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) will collaborate to accelerate the translation of research into innovations across materials and life sciences. A*STAR plans to equip researchers and staff with secure AI-enabled tools on Google Cloud to support scientific analysis and hypothesis generation within governed environments.

The partnership also includes accessibility-focused initiatives. Google DeepMind is developing a Gemma-powered running assistant designed for blind and low-vision athletes, using spatial reasoning and real-time environmental understanding to help users run independently without physical guides. The initiative is being developed in collaboration with SG Enable, Singapore’s focal agency for disability and inclusion, to test and refine the product for the real-world needs of vision-impaired runners.

In education, Google is expanding its collaboration with Singapore’s Ministry of Education to strengthen AI capabilities across teaching and learning, including educator training and upskilling programmes. These efforts are part of MOE’s broader approach to evaluate how enterprise solutions can be applied effectively and scaled in support of education outcomes.

Google said advanced AI functionalities within Google Workspace for Education have already been enabled for educators from primary schools to junior colleges, providing AI-powered tools for lesson planning and course development.

The company will also continue initiatives under its Majulah AI programme, including Skills Ignition SG with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) for jobseekers, Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First, AI Cloud Takeoff for startups, entrepreneurs and developers, as well as Gemini Academy for every Singaporean, including older adults.

The partnership also supports enterprise and startup innovation efforts. Following the launch of Google’s Singapore Engineering Center, Google Cloud’s expanded team of Forward Deployed Engineers will support Singapore-based companies in scaling agentic enterprise transformation initiatives.

The National AI Partnership also builds on Google Cloud’s existing collaborations with organisations including AI Singapore, the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies, Government Technology Agency of Singapore, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency, and the National University of Singapore.

A key component of the partnership focuses on AI safety and governance. Singapore is currently studying how AI agents operate in real-world environments to better understand their risks, value and governance implications.

A joint whitepaper by Google, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, GovTech Singapore and IMDA outlines findings from the AI Agents Sandbox, including best practices for safely deploying AI agents for tasks such as software testing and social assistance applications.

Google DeepMind is also collaborating with IMDA and MLCommons on multilingual and multimodal AI safety benchmarks aimed at supporting safer and more responsible AI deployment across diverse languages and cultures.

“This partnership builds on years of close collaboration with Google, and we are pleased to take it to the next level. Bringing frontier AI into our public services and enterprises is central to Singapore’s AI ambitions,” said Chng Kai Fong, permanent secretary (Digital Development and Information).

“This partnership, spanning across multiple agencies, allows us to deploy it at scale,” he added.

Ben King, country managing director of Google Singapore, said the partnership reflects Singapore’s growing focus on deploying frontier AI for real-world impact.

“Through this expanded partnership with the Singapore Government, we are putting AI into action by combining the best of our technology, R&D expertise and local talent to accelerate AI for the public good,” he said.

“This also creates a scalable blueprint for responsible AI innovation, built in Singapore for the world,” King added.