Singapore
By Tang See Kit 28 Jul 2021 11:40AM (Updated: 28 Jul 2021 11:58AM )
SINGAPORE: Four global companies in the fields of blockchain, cybersecurity, robotics and smart living solutions have confirmed plans to set up base in the upcoming “smart business district” in Punggol, becoming the first batch of international firms to do so.
These companies, as well as other tech agencies and associations that have confirmed their plans in the Punggol Digital District (PDD) at this stage, will collectively create more than 2,000 technology jobs in Singapore, national industrial estate developer JTC said on Wednesday (Jul 28).
The four companies are: Boston Dynamics, Delta Electronics Int’l (Singapore), Group-IB, and Wanxiang.
The latter two will locate their regional headquarters in the Punggol Digital District, which remains under development and will progressively open from 2024.
Described as “Singapore’s first smart business district”, the 50-hectare district will incorporate a business park, the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) new campus as well as community facilities.
It will be powered by an open digital platform, which will collect real-time data from the district and can be used to roll out solutions such as optimising temperatures in buildings.
When ready, the Punggol Digital District is set to create 28,000 digital economy jobs , authorities have said.
“The strong business interest and investments in PDD is testament to Singapore’s reputation as the region’s digital innovation hub,” said Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong at an event on Wednesday where he announced the first batch of international firms.
He noted that the digital economy is a bright spot for businesses around the world amid the disruptions of COVID-19. It is also “critical to the economic success for Singapore and Singaporeans”, he said.
While Singapore is already home to many global tech firms, Mr Gan said it needs to keep enhancing its value proposition in order to remain the location of choice for tech businesses in the long term.
The country has taken “active steps” such as remaining “vigilant and determined” in its approach to combat the pandemic, as well as strengthening its digital infrastructure including plans for two nationwide 5G networks by 2025.
It is also on track to achieving its “smart city” ambitions, with the Punggol Digital District being “a living lab for new concepts and solutions” in artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, cybersecurity and smart living.
Mr Gan described the digital district in Punggol as the first to integrate physical and digital spaces between a business park and an academic institution.
“The co-location of businesses and the future Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) brings businesses to talent, and talent to businesses,” he said.
The Punggol Digital District also offers businesses “plug and play” digital infrastructure through the open digital platform, which makes data available for companies, students and the public to testbed new concepts and solutions in a safe environment before actual deployment, the minister added.
Apart from these unique offerings, Mr Gan noted that companies also stand to “benefit from Singapore’s status as an open global hub for innovation, business and talent”.
“The PDD will create good job opportunities for Singaporeans, including those living and studying in the Punggol district,” he said.
The 2,000 jobs that the inaugural batch of four companies are expected to create range from digital forensics and data analysts to solution engineers, cyber threat hunters, and artificial intelligence and blockchain developers, according to JTC.
WHAT THE COMPANIES ARE DOING
International threat hunting and cyber intelligence firm Group-IB and China’s blockchain industry leader Wanxiang will locate their regional headquarters in the Punggol Digital District.
The former will collaborate with SIT to design and engineer a virtual testing environment that is suitable for early-stage companies and start-ups to test solutions for cyberattacks.
Group-IB also partnered the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and cybersecurity community Division Zero to organise the inaugural PDD bug bounty programme, where students were given four hours to identify “bugs” that can compromise smart lighting and building management systems hosted on an isolated network managed by SIT.
Such applied learning is an example of future cybersecurity activities that will be organised to nurture talents, JTC said in its press release.
Similarly, Wanxiang is partnering blockchain accelerator Tribe to nurture students and start-ups in data privacy and data management capabilities.
It is also joining hands with a training provider to launch a programme to help mid-career professionals build skillsets and provide certification in areas such as blockchain and cloud computing.
Delta Electronics Int’l (Singapore), a global provider of power and thermal management solutions, has launched its first automated container farm at the Punggol Digital District’s site gallery. It will also launch a PDD Smart Living Programme to nurture companies and educate next-generation talents on smart living solutions.
Delta Electronics plans to set up a regional headquarters in Kallang by 2022, in addition to a satellite office at the Punggol Digital District, said Mr Gan.
Also setting up at the Punggol Digital District is US robotics company Boston Dynamics, which has been working with the Government since 2019 when its “Spot robot” was used by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to trial robotics applications.
The collaboration allowed GovTech to use Spot to develop and test out its in-house robotics software stack, JTC’s press release said. During the trial, the four-legged robot was also used to deliver medicine and other essential supplies to patients in quarantine facilities, and assisted in safe distancing measures in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park last year.
Moving forward, the robot will be used in the Punggol Digital District to test real world use cases, such as laser scanning of construction sites and inspecting remote or dangerous environment.
Boston Dynamics will also be partnering local start-up dConstruct Technologies and SIT on the learning and applied research of robotics systems.
FOCUS ON CYBERSECURITY
Apart from the international players, the Punggol Digital District will house the highest concentration of cybersecurity associations in Singapore, according to JTC.
The associations, together with other industry and community groups, will curate activities like international conferences and hackathons to expose and upskill students and mid-career job seekers in the digital tech field, its press release said.
Source: CNA/sk
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Punggol Digital District secures first batch of global players; more than 2,000 jobs to be created
Punggol Digital District Campus: Having a university and business park so close together will allow greater opportunities for collaboration, said planners. (Photo: JTC)By Tang See Kit 28 Jul 2021 11:40AM (Updated: 28 Jul 2021 11:58AM )
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SINGAPORE: Four global companies in the fields of blockchain, cybersecurity, robotics and smart living solutions have confirmed plans to set up base in the upcoming “smart business district” in Punggol, becoming the first batch of international firms to do so.
These companies, as well as other tech agencies and associations that have confirmed their plans in the Punggol Digital District (PDD) at this stage, will collectively create more than 2,000 technology jobs in Singapore, national industrial estate developer JTC said on Wednesday (Jul 28).
The four companies are: Boston Dynamics, Delta Electronics Int’l (Singapore), Group-IB, and Wanxiang.
The latter two will locate their regional headquarters in the Punggol Digital District, which remains under development and will progressively open from 2024.
READ: The architects designing the Punggol Digital District on creating a greener Singapore
Described as “Singapore’s first smart business district”, the 50-hectare district will incorporate a business park, the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) new campus as well as community facilities.
It will be powered by an open digital platform, which will collect real-time data from the district and can be used to roll out solutions such as optimising temperatures in buildings.
When ready, the Punggol Digital District is set to create 28,000 digital economy jobs , authorities have said.
“The strong business interest and investments in PDD is testament to Singapore’s reputation as the region’s digital innovation hub,” said Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong at an event on Wednesday where he announced the first batch of international firms.
He noted that the digital economy is a bright spot for businesses around the world amid the disruptions of COVID-19. It is also “critical to the economic success for Singapore and Singaporeans”, he said.
While Singapore is already home to many global tech firms, Mr Gan said it needs to keep enhancing its value proposition in order to remain the location of choice for tech businesses in the long term.
The country has taken “active steps” such as remaining “vigilant and determined” in its approach to combat the pandemic, as well as strengthening its digital infrastructure including plans for two nationwide 5G networks by 2025.
READ: Singapore on track to roll out 5G by 2025; Singtel, StarHub-M1 joint venture issued final awards
It is also on track to achieving its “smart city” ambitions, with the Punggol Digital District being “a living lab for new concepts and solutions” in artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, cybersecurity and smart living.
Mr Gan described the digital district in Punggol as the first to integrate physical and digital spaces between a business park and an academic institution.
“The co-location of businesses and the future Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) brings businesses to talent, and talent to businesses,” he said.
The Punggol Digital District also offers businesses “plug and play” digital infrastructure through the open digital platform, which makes data available for companies, students and the public to testbed new concepts and solutions in a safe environment before actual deployment, the minister added.
Apart from these unique offerings, Mr Gan noted that companies also stand to “benefit from Singapore’s status as an open global hub for innovation, business and talent”.
“The PDD will create good job opportunities for Singaporeans, including those living and studying in the Punggol district,” he said.
The 2,000 jobs that the inaugural batch of four companies are expected to create range from digital forensics and data analysts to solution engineers, cyber threat hunters, and artificial intelligence and blockchain developers, according to JTC.
WHAT THE COMPANIES ARE DOING
International threat hunting and cyber intelligence firm Group-IB and China’s blockchain industry leader Wanxiang will locate their regional headquarters in the Punggol Digital District.
The former will collaborate with SIT to design and engineer a virtual testing environment that is suitable for early-stage companies and start-ups to test solutions for cyberattacks.
Group-IB also partnered the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and cybersecurity community Division Zero to organise the inaugural PDD bug bounty programme, where students were given four hours to identify “bugs” that can compromise smart lighting and building management systems hosted on an isolated network managed by SIT.
Such applied learning is an example of future cybersecurity activities that will be organised to nurture talents, JTC said in its press release.
Similarly, Wanxiang is partnering blockchain accelerator Tribe to nurture students and start-ups in data privacy and data management capabilities.
It is also joining hands with a training provider to launch a programme to help mid-career professionals build skillsets and provide certification in areas such as blockchain and cloud computing.
Delta Electronics Int’l (Singapore), a global provider of power and thermal management solutions, has launched its first automated container farm at the Punggol Digital District’s site gallery. It will also launch a PDD Smart Living Programme to nurture companies and educate next-generation talents on smart living solutions.
Delta Electronics plans to set up a regional headquarters in Kallang by 2022, in addition to a satellite office at the Punggol Digital District, said Mr Gan.
Also setting up at the Punggol Digital District is US robotics company Boston Dynamics, which has been working with the Government since 2019 when its “Spot robot” was used by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to trial robotics applications.
The collaboration allowed GovTech to use Spot to develop and test out its in-house robotics software stack, JTC’s press release said. During the trial, the four-legged robot was also used to deliver medicine and other essential supplies to patients in quarantine facilities, and assisted in safe distancing measures in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park last year.
WATCH: Meet the robot dog promoting safe distancing in Singapore's parks
Moving forward, the robot will be used in the Punggol Digital District to test real world use cases, such as laser scanning of construction sites and inspecting remote or dangerous environment.
Boston Dynamics will also be partnering local start-up dConstruct Technologies and SIT on the learning and applied research of robotics systems.
FOCUS ON CYBERSECURITY
Apart from the international players, the Punggol Digital District will house the highest concentration of cybersecurity associations in Singapore, according to JTC.
The associations, together with other industry and community groups, will curate activities like international conferences and hackathons to expose and upskill students and mid-career job seekers in the digital tech field, its press release said.
Source: CNA/sk
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