Kyndryl has launched its ASEAN AI Innovation Lab in Singapore, aiming to accelerate enterprise adoption of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) across Southeast Asia. The move marks the latest in a series of global investments by Kyndryl to establish regional hubs for AI talent and innovation, following recent expansions in the United Kingdom and France.
The new lab is expected to employ around 50 AI professionals, including data scientists, engineers and developers, and will provide enterprise-grade AI solutions that integrate security, scalability and ethical governance. Located in Singapore, the lab will serve as a regional hub for customers looking to adopt AI capabilities, supported by Kyndryl Consult’s expertise in integrating technologies, software, and platform engineering.
It will also house Kyndryl Vital, a co-creation space that applies design-led thinking to help customers solve complex, real-world business challenges. Through live demonstrations and real use cases, organisations can explore the implementation of responsible AI solutions tailored to their operational needs.
Andrew Lim, Managing Director of Kyndryl ASEAN and Korea, said, “Our ASEAN AI Innovation Lab underscores Kyndryl’s long-term commitment to the region. Our experience in designing and delivering complex systems at scale gives us an advantage in implementing end-to-end AI solutions. By partnering with Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), Google Cloud and other ecosystem players, we aim to scale trustworthy and high-impact AI solutions that enable businesses to move faster and smarter with responsible AI principles at the core.”
Collaboration with government and cloud partners
Kyndryl has partnered with Google Cloud and Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) to support local businesses in their AI transformation journeys. This partnership is part of DISG’s Enterprise Compute Initiative (ECI), with Kyndryl joining the AI Cloud Takeoff programme as a launch partner.
Google Cloud will provide access to its AI development tools, including Vertex AI, BigQuery, the Agent Development Kit (ADK), and Google Agentspace. These tools will support AI solution development and business growth for companies operating in Singapore and across the region.
Mark Micallef, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at Google Cloud, noted, “Enterprises across Southeast Asia are moving quickly to harness generative AI and agentic AI, and they need trusted partners to do it responsibly and at scale. Our partnership with Kyndryl brings together deep consultancy expertise and interoperable data-to-AI capabilities to help organisations unlock tangible and measurable ROI from deployments of enterprise-grade AI with cutting edge security capabilities.”
Enabling enterprise AI across key industries
The lab will offer infrastructure and cloud-native architectures to help customers operationalise AI projects. Through collaboration with DISG and local universities and research institutions, organisations will have the opportunity to develop AI talent, build reusable assets, and strengthen their long-term innovation capacity.
Kyndryl’s AI specialists will support businesses in building governance, privacy and security frameworks to ensure regulatory compliance. The lab will also focus on energy-efficient AI solutions that reduce both carbon emissions and computing costs.
Practical use cases have already emerged across the region. In the hospitality sector, Frasers Hospitality partnered with Kyndryl to improve staff training by transforming videos into interactive, multilingual content. In Vietnam, logistics provider SuperPort™ automated its x-ray image analysis and document validation processes using AI. Meanwhile, employment platform Quest uses AI to personalise its gig marketplace, boosting job matching and fulfilment rates.
Kyndryl’s recent People Readiness Report 2025 highlights a growing gap between AI investment and workforce readiness. While 95% of businesses have invested in AI, 71% of leaders say their teams are not fully prepared to use the technology. However, a small group of “Pacesetters” (14%) are already seeing results by aligning technology and workforce goals.
Driving regional growth and AI capacity
Kyndryl’s investment aligns with Singapore’s national ambition to be a global leader in AI. The lab will contribute to a forward-looking ecosystem that supports innovation, talent development and cross-sector collaboration not only in Singapore, but also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Philbert Gomez, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Digital Industry Singapore, said, “Kyndryl’s ASEAN AI Innovation Lab contributes to Singapore’s ambition to be a hub for AI innovation. We are keen for companies to develop their innovation mandates in Singapore and tap into our ecosystem to grow their businesses. Kyndryl is one such partner of the Enterprise Compute Initiative, a national-level programme aimed at accelerating AI-powered transformation projects. By bringing together industry, academia and government, this Lab will serve as a catalyst for innovation, workforce skilling and the development of scalable AI infrastructure in Singapore and the broader ASEAN region.”
