AMAZON Web Services (AWS) will commit an extra S$12 billion to its existing Singapore cloud infrastructure over the next four years, doubling its investment in the Republic. The move follows last year’s S$11.5 million injection.
It will also launch a programme to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country.
The S$12 billion investment will help meet growing customer demand for cloud services, AWS said on the sidelines of the AWS Summit held at Marina Bay Sands on Tuesday (May 7).
Priscilla Chong, AWS Singapore’s country manager, said: “It also brings additional contributions to the local economy by AWS, such as upskilling the local digital workforce, developing renewable-energy projects and creating a positive impact in the communities where AWS operates.”
The Amazon subsidiary expects the investment to contribute S$23.7 billion to Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2028, and to support an estimated average of 12,300 full-time equivalent jobs in local Singapore businesses each year.
AWS, which provides on-demand cloud computing services, supports more than 4,800 full-time jobs in local businesses annually, based on its Singapore economic impact report.
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Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Tan Kiat How noted at the summit that Amazon hires more than 2,000 workers locally across its cloud services, operations, logistics and data-engineering teams, with a majority of these posts filled by Singaporeans and permanent residents.
He noted that partnerships with companies such as AWS have contributed to the growth of Singapore’s digital economy, which generated S$106 billion in 2022 and accounted for around 17 per cent of nominal GDP.
AWS also plans to support Singapore’s Smart Nation goals with its new flagship AI programme – AWS AI Spring. Under this, AWS will work with Singapore government agencies to drive AI adoption within the public sector and wider industries.
For example, it will partner the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on a series of generative AI workshops with at least 100 enterprises. Each workshop will cater to more than 20 “digitally mature” local enterprises, AWS said.
It will also give participating enterprises access to its GenAI tools to develop their in-house capabilities and competencies. IMDA, meanwhile, will provide funding support.
It also signed a memorandum of understanding with health-tech agency Synapxe for data and AI applications that will enable healthcare providers to leverage data analytics and AI across healthcare systems. AWS will partner universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education on AI learning to triple the pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 in the next five years. It aims to train 5,000 individuals across these learning institutions on AI skills yearly from 2024 to 2026.
