Google Cloud has announced innovations that will advance Singapore’s AI ambitions, and help Asian companies to scale and succeed with AI.
At its “AI Asia: Building Beyond Borders” conference, the cloud hyperscaler unveiled data residency guarantees that empower organisations to innovate to the fullest extent in the public cloud; advancements in Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) that bring the power of Gemini on-premises; and agentic applications that elevate customer experiences across touchpoints.
Guest-of-honour, Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore, underscored the nation’s strategic role in driving digital innovation across the region. She highlighted Singapore’s commitment to fostering industry partnerships and supporting the deployment of practical, impactful AI solutions. Teo noted that collaborations with technology leaders like Google are enabling Singapore to remain at the forefront of digital transformation in Asia, creating new opportunities both locally and throughout Southeast Asia.
Google Cloud brings Gemini models on premises
Google has advanced its collaboration with Singapore’s public sector, primarily with the general availability of Gemini on GDC air-gapped and the preview of Gemini on GDC connected, enabling public agencies to leverage the full power of Gemini models while keeping their sensitive data under their control, in their own data centre.
This also means that companies with strict sovereignty, ultra-low latency, or large data volume requirements are able to access the latest AI models without compromising on security and performance.
GDC is a fully-managed on-premises and edge cloud solution that is offered in both air-gapped and connected configurations. Gemini on GDC complements the integrated technology stack that is already available on GDC, which includes Vertex AI, database as a service (DBaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), end-to-end security controls, and more.
Public sector agencies including CSIT, GovTech Singapore and HTX, will be the first in Asia to gain access to Gemini on GDC air-gapped. These agencies can accelerate the development and deployment of agentic AI while keeping highly sensitive data within their on-premises data centres, fully disconnected from the public internet.
It opens up entirely new use cases for government agencies, helping them build AI agents with leading multimodal reasoning and “working memory” capabilities to assist with national security, public safety, policy modelling, and more.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to Singapore as a key innovation hub. Kurian underlined Google’s sustained investment in AI capabilities, its expanding regional cloud infrastructure, and dedicated partnerships with local enterprises and the public sector. He said: “Singapore’s forward-thinking approach to technology and talent makes it the ideal launchpad for our most advanced AI solutions in Asia.”
Broader AI adoption across industries
Across Southeast Asia, broad industry adoption is also taking place: brands are embracing Google Cloud AI to revamp their business models and improve both customer and staff experiences. Among others, customers like Frasers Hospitality, which operates serviced apartments and residences in almost 40 cities, is rolling out a new AI-powered app to transform workforce training. The app automatically converts video content into multilingual SOPs and training modules, enabling rapid onboarding and ensuring consistent service standards.
Gill Capital, the retail group behind H&M, Alo and On Running, is deploying Vertex AI Search for Commerce to create more intuitive and personalised shopping experiences, both online and in-store. Vertex AI Search for Commerce provides Google-quality search, browsing, recommendations and conversational commerce on digital properties, increasing conversions and reducing search abandonment. Gill’s use of conversational agents not only delivers intent-driven recommendations to consumers but also streamlines catalogue management for staff, making backend operations smarter and faster.
FairPrice Group (FPG) expanded its Google Cloud collaboration to pioneer agentic solutions that help FPG customers shop smarter and save more. This collaboration involves launching a suite of agentic AI assistants developed using Google Cloud’s Agent Development Kit (ADK). At the FairPrice Finest outlet in Punggol Digital District in Singapore, shoppers can take advantage of a smart cart assistant, a wellness assistant, and a digital wine sommelier, among other Google Cloud-enabled AI innovations.
A model for scalable growth
These AI-powered initiatives are more than just technological upgrades—they signal a wider transformation in how Southeast Asian enterprises operate. From boosting productivity and engaging customers in new ways, to creating scalable models for regional expansion, the message is clear: AI innovation is delivering real, measurable business value.
As the region’s companies and public sector continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with Google Cloud, the Southeast Asian business and public service landscape is rapidly evolving—and Singapore stands firmly at the forefront of this AI evolution.
