MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is exploring potential opportunities to collaborate with Singapore’s Smart Nation Group to advance the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in various sectors.
The DTI also signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Siemens Inc. to renew their partnership to promote Industry 4.0 transformation in the Philippines.
In a statement, the DTI said Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual discussed potential areas of collaboration including AI applications with Smart Nation Group during his visit to Singapore last week.
Smart Nation Group, which is part of Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office and administered by the Ministry of Communications and Information, is responsible for guiding Singapore’s digital transformation and the development of its Smart Nation strategies.
“The Philippines is committed to closely partnering with regional and global leaders in AI to ensure that our nation remains at the forefront of technological innovation. By collaborating with international experts and institutions, like Singapore’s Smart Nation Group, we aim to harness the transformative power of AI to drive economic growth, enhance public services and position the Philippines as a globally competitive leader in the AI space,” Pascual said.
The DTI is building the AI ecosystem in the Philippines as it seeks to position the country as a regional center of excellence in AI innovation under the National AI Strategy Roadmap.
As part of the AI roadmap, the DTI is set to launch the country’s Center for AI Research (CAIR) next month.
The CAIR will perform collaborative AI research and development and technology applications among government agencies, researchers, universities, research institutes, startups, small and medium enterprises and multinational companies. It will also support the digital transformation of local businesses by offering consultancy services and AI tech products.
In a separate statement, the DTI said a new MOU was signed with Siemens in Singapore last Friday to scale up the parties’ efforts in fostering digital industrial transformation in the country.