The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Google have announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate applied artificial intelligence (AI) research and talent development. The partnership includes plans to set up a joint research and innovation centre, marking a significant step in advancing Singapore’s ambitions to become a global hub for AI.
Announced at the NUS School of Computing’s 50th Anniversary Gala dinner on 4 August, the agreement was formalised by Professor Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS Computing, and Serene Sia, Country Director for Singapore and Malaysia at Google Cloud. The ceremony was witnessed by Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Tan Kiat How, alongside NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye and Yolyn Ang, Vice President of Knowledge and Information Partnerships for Asia Pacific at Google.
Advancing applied AI research
The newly established joint research and innovation centre will focus on applied AI projects across various domains, such as education, law, and healthcare. The initiative is designed to bring together NUS’s expertise in AI and interdisciplinary research with Google’s technological capabilities, research tools, and infrastructure.
Professor Liu Bin, Deputy President (Research and Technology) at NUS, said, “Google has been a valued long-term partner of NUS, and we are excited to deepen this strategic relationship. The joint centre brings together NUS’s leadership in AI and multidisciplinary research and Google’s deep research expertise, advanced technologies and tools, as well as well-established pathways for research translation and deployment.”
She also highlighted the importance of talent development, noting that the partnership would include endowed professorships, mentorship, and research training. “We are grateful to Google for their support to establish a professorship at NUS, which will strengthen faculty leadership and research excellence in AI,” she said.
Serene Sia added, “Google and NUS share a longstanding partnership, anchored on talent development and applying frontier technologies for public good. Our new collaboration truly builds on those successes; it’s a significant step forward in Google’s commitment to bringing new capabilities for scientific discovery to Singapore.”
The joint centre will also support rapid prototyping of AI solutions. A sandbox environment powered by Google Cloud’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) will allow researchers to test and validate AI solutions before deployment, ensuring safety and scalability.
Key focus areas in education, legal and healthcare
In the education sector, the partnership will explore AI tools for adult learning using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform. Projects may include adaptive learning systems, context-aware nudging, and course-specific AI companions to support lifelong learning and upskilling.
In the legal field, NUS Faculty of Law, the NUS AI Institute, and NUS Computing will collaborate to build a domain-specific large language model (LLM) trained on Singapore’s legal frameworks. This aims to provide the foundation for AI assistants that can support legal professionals and improve access to legal information.
Healthcare efforts will be driven through the AI4PH (AI for Public Health) programme. This will focus on developing AI applications that combine data from healthcare, social, and environmental sources to support preventive care initiatives such as Healthier SG and encourage cognitive health in ageing populations.
Investing in future AI talent
Beyond research, the collaboration will invest in AI talent through a new development programme at NUS. This includes training opportunities and certification pathways for students and researchers using Google Cloud AI tools to support their research work.
Google also plans to establish a professorship at NUS focused on AI. This will strengthen faculty leadership and deepen academic-industry collaboration, contributing to a stronger talent pipeline in AI and digital innovation.
This latest development builds on a history of collaboration between the two organisations, including initiatives like the on-campus Google Developer Group, AI training for biomedical applications, and the world’s first AI-powered legal journal podcast using Google’s NotebookLM.
