Oracle last week announced the launch of its AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore, a resource and hub for innovation and collaboration to help organizations across Southeast Asia to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI.
“To remain economically competitive, we need to build an agile and adaptable workforce that is equipped to leverage new technology effectively. The new Oracle AI Centre for Excellence is a good example of how businesses can take the lead in workforce transformation, empowering our workers to become future-ready,” said Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore.
“AI will fuel the next wave of opportunity and growth,” said Garrett Ilg, executive vice president, Oracle, Japan & Asia Pacific. “The Oracle AI Centre of Excellence will empower individuals and organizations of all sizes across Southeast Asia with cutting-edge cloud and AI technologies, world-class training, and a dynamic environment for experimentation and innovation. It further strengthens our commitment to train thousands of students and professionals in Singapore and provide readily-available digital talent for the local workforce.”
Established as part of the Oracle Solution Center, a flagship program featuring state-of-the-art systems, cutting-edge technology, and customer-experience sites worldwide, the Oracle AI Centre of Excellence offers both a digital and physical environment, equipped with the latest cloud and AI technologies.
Supported by a dedicated team of Oracle experts led by Oracle University and a diverse network of partners, the Centre is designed to help organizations train teams, experiment in secure cloud environments, and provide the knowledge needed to transform critical business operations.
Oracle AI Centre of Excellence ecosystem partners currently include Accenture, Deloitte, Digital Realty, NCS, NTUC LearningHub, PwC, and ST Engineering
Asia Pacific is experiencing a remarkable acceleration in the adoption of AI and generative AI technologies with investments in the region projected to reach US$110 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24 percent from 2023 to 2028,” said Deepika Giri, regional head, AI, Analytics & Data, Asia Pacific, IDC. “Platforms such as Oracle’s upcoming AI Centre of Excellence are essential for organizations as they transition from experimentation to scaling their AI implementation, enabling businesses to leverage AI’s effectiveness, identify challenges, and refine approaches, to ultimately drive innovation on a global scale.”
On another note, last week also witnessed news sourced from Bloomberg News quoting familiar sources that Oracle is in talks with the Indonesian government to establish a cloud services center in Batam Island, a short ferry ride from Singapore. The company has apparently identified Nongsa Digital Park in Batam as the chosen location due to its “free trade zone” status. Earlier in October, Oracle had said it planned to invest more than US$ 6.5 billion to set up its first public cloud region in Malaysia.
The company also wants to continue its expansion across Asia, with more data centres and infrastructure projects planned “from Japan all the way down to New Zealand… all the way to India”, Garrett Ilg, Oracle’s executive vice president for Japan and Asia Pacific, had told Reuters in a statement earlier.
Oracle currently has two existing cloud computing facilities in Singapore and currently has 50 public cloud regions across 24 countries, according to its website.