Microsoft has announced the expansion of its AI Pinnacle Program with new partnerships across the public and private sectors in Singapore. The initiative aims to accelerate AI adoption, enhance industry-specific solutions, and strengthen local AI talent.
Through collaborations with CapitaLand, ofi (Olam Food Ingredients), SATS, Singtel, and SJ Group, Microsoft is working to integrate AI into key industries, including real estate, food and beverage, aviation, telecommunications, and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). The initiative aligns with Singapore’s push for technology-driven growth under Budget 2025.
These announcements were made at the “Leading in the Era of AI” event, which was jointly organised by Microsoft and the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) Singapore Women in Tech (SGWIT) initiative in celebration of International Women’s Day. Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, attended the event as the Guest-of-Honour and emphasised the importance of an inclusive workforce in Singapore’s digital economy.
Advancing AI research with Singapore-specific solutions
As part of this initiative, Microsoft has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ASTAR Institute for Infocomm Research (ASTAR I2R) to develop MERaLiON (Multimodal Empathetic Reasoning and Learning in One Network), a Singapore-specific AI model. This collaboration will explore the integration of MERaLiON into Microsoft 365 and Copilot to make AI more relevant to local businesses by enhancing contextual understanding and language capabilities.
Supported by the National Research Foundation and IMDA, this project is part of Singapore’s National Multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) Funding Initiative, which aims to expand AI research and innovation. The initiative is also backed by AI Singapore (AISG) and leverages high-performance computing resources from the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore.
The development of MERaLiON will enable businesses to leverage AI assistants that are more attuned to Singapore’s linguistic and cultural landscape, improving workflow efficiency and decision-making.
Boosting AI skills and workforce development
Microsoft is also focusing on AI workforce development, with plans to train 200,000 learners in Singapore by 2027. As part of this effort, the company is expanding its “Code; Without Barriers” program to upskill 10,000 women in AI and data roles.
New partners joining the initiative include Bank of Singapore, CapitaLand, Cloud4C, Cognizant, CPF Board, SATS, SJ Group, and Total eBiz Solutions. With 60 companies now participating across Southeast Asia, the program supports skills development through certification courses in cloud, data, and AI, as well as on-the-job training, mentorship, and AI innovation projects.
Microsoft Singapore’s Managing Director, Lee Hui Li, highlighted the program’s impact: “Our focus at Microsoft is ensuring AI benefits the entire Singapore community, so we’re excited to expand the AI Pinnacle Program to make it easier to access effective AI and build new skills, while transforming and modernising how key industries do business. By working with industry-leading organisations we are co-innovating to develop AI use cases that will unlock real value and solve unique challenges in their sectors. Facilitating groundbreaking AI research and developing and scaling access to our national LLM MERaLiON will also enable businesses to benefit from Generative AI tailored to the Singapore business landscape. To keep up the AI momentum we’ll need to deepen our local AI talent pool, so we’re thrilled to extend skilling initiatives including our Code; Without Barriers program supporting women in tech. Together with Singapore’s public and private sector, we’re equipping individuals and organisations to thrive in the AI economy.”
Dr Sun Sumei, Executive Director of A*STAR I2R, echoed this sentiment: “Our collaboration with Microsoft to further co-develop MERaLiON represents a significant step in advancing AI capabilities tailored to Singapore’s linguistic and cultural diversity. By leveraging Microsoft Azure’s scalable infrastructure, we aim to enhance MERaLiON with a deeper understanding of local languages, dialects, and communication patterns. As Microsoft explores the potential integration of MERaLiON into Copilot, this partnership offers opportunities to translate our cutting-edge AI research into practical applications that improve productivity and decision-making for businesses, while also contributing to the broader AI research landscape.”
With these initiatives, Microsoft aims to deepen AI adoption across industries while fostering a skilled workforce that can drive AI innovation in Singapore.
