Google DeepMind Sets Up Singapore Lab to Boost APAC AI Role

Google DeepMind has launched a new research lab in Singapore, marking a major step in strengthening Asia Pacific’s role as a creator of artificial intelligence rather than just a consumer. The facility has already begun hiring and will focus on developing technologies suited to the region’s diverse languages, cultures and real-world needs.

The move follows a significant expansion of DeepMind’s presence across Asia, with the company more than doubling its regional team over the last year. Singapore’s reputation as a tech-forward nation, supported by initiatives like the National AI Strategy 2.0 and Smart Nation 2.0, played a key role in attracting the research powerhouse.

Unlike the teams in India and Japan that came through the merger of DeepMind and Google Brain, the Singapore lab is the first to be built entirely from scratch. Its researchers will contribute directly to advancing the Gemini model, with a strong emphasis on making AI more inclusive for the Asia Pacific audience. Ongoing collaborations include work with AI Singapore on SEA-LION, a family of language models developed to reflect the region’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

The new lab is also expected to support Google Cloud customers in priority sectors such as education, healthcare and scientific research. Early projects in weather prediction, multilingual capabilities and applied AI solutions are designed to serve both regional users and the global community.

DeepMind’s growing presence builds on earlier partnerships in Singapore, ranging from testing autonomous systems with government agencies to supporting neuroscience research with AlphaFold. The company is also extending training opportunities through free access programmes for students and accelerator support for AI startups.

Although DeepMind has not revealed the scale of its investment or hiring targets, the company confirmed that recruitment will come through new hires, transfers from within Google and returning Singaporean researchers who want to contribute to the country’s expanding AI ecosystem.