The National University of Singapore partners with FPT to launch $50M AI Lab for cutting-edge research

NUS School of Computing and FPT MOU Signing Ceremony in Singapore. L to R: Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, NUS; Professor He Bingsheng, Vice Dean (Research), NUS School of Computing; Mr. David Nguyen, CEO, FPT Asia Pacific; Dr. Truong Gia Binh, Founder and Chairman, FPT Corporation. (Photo: Business Wire)

The National University of Singapore's School of Computing (NUS Computing) has partnered with Vietnam-based technology corporation FPT to drive advancements in artificial intelligence. 

The team-up, which includes a joint investment of US$50 million over the next five years, aims to boost research and talent development in AI across the Asia-Pacific region.

A key element of the partnership is the creation of an AI Lab at NUS Computing. The lab will focus on research in areas like machine learning, data analytics, natural language processing, and computer vision.

 By combining NUS’s research capabilities with FPT’s industry experience, the lab will work on developing solutions for sectors such as banking, logistics, energy, and manufacturing.

David Nguyen, FPT Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer, said:

"The establishment of the AI Lab in Singapore is a cornerstone of our partnership, where we will develop groundbreaking solutions to address challenges across industries that are critical to the region’s growth and global competitiveness such as healthcare, banking and insurance, logistics and transportation, aviation and airline, energy and utilities, manufacturing, and more.

“By leveraging each other’s expertise, we aim to accelerate innovation and drive impactful results locally, in the Asia-Pacific region, and worldwide."

The lab will be integrated into NUS's existing AI ecosystem. The research will focus on practical applications, producing research papers and white papers for international journals and conferences.

Talent development is another core component of the partnership. FPT and NUS will run joint programmes like internships, workshops, and PhD research opportunities, to develop build a skilled AI workforce. 

Professor Tan Kian Lee, Dean of NUS Computing:

“This synergistic partnership brings together the complementary strengths of NUS Computing and FPT. We aim to bring innovative AI solutions to real-world challenges, and at the same time, contributing to the AI ecosystem in Singapore and globally through the development of a highly skilled AI workforce.”

The partnership is part of FPT’s broader strategy to strengthen its AI capabilities. The company recently announced investments of $174 million to establish an AI centre in Vietnam and $200 million to develop an AI factory. FPT has also formed partnerships with leading AI companies, including NVIDIA, Landing AI, and AITOMATIC.

Dr. Truong Gia Binh, Founder and Chairman of FPT, stated:

“FPT believes AI is a pivotal accelerator in shaping the future. For more than a decade, FPT has been actively pursuing AI research and development to stimulate innovations and has integrated AI into all our services and solutions. We also invested heavily in the training and development of an AI-ready workforce. The close partnership with the renowned National University of Singapore can help us harness AI power to drive mutual growth and success not only in Singapore and Vietnam but globally.”