Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL), the world’s No.1 provider of AI infrastructure in 2024 (1), recently announced the launch of its new Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) AI Innovation Hub in Singapore, – driving AI Transformation, Enablement and Leadership in Singapore and Region, at the Dell Technologies Forum in Singapore.
Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub (AIIH)
The Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub (AIIH) is dedicated to advancing AI for Singapore and the region, this is an extension of the Dell Technologies Global Innovation Hub (GIH). Since 2019, Dell has invested over US$50 million to the GIH to drive key areas of growth in digital transformation, improving financial services delivery, enhancing healthcare, optimising energy efficiency and expanding access to quality education through innovative technology solutions.
The AIIH has three key objectives – AI Transformation, AI Enablement and AI Leadership, aligning closely with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0.
AI Transformation
Organisations that are planning to implement AI Transformation, they would definitely be looking at more than just digital transformation and deployment in AI technology.
Dell Technologies understand there is a critical need for support beyond infrastructure, Dell’s AIIH provides end-to-end capabilities bridging the gap between government and enterprises AI ambitions and successful deployment.
The demand for holistic support is supported by a recent research, where 62% of businesses in Singapore cited a preference for third-party AI partners that are capable of managing projects from strategy to implementation.
The Dell AIIH team will facilitate collaboration between organisations and partners to validate use cases, creating and testing prototypes out of Singapore for the region.
This hub has developed around 50 AI engineering solution prototypes, workshop modules and data science demo models. Since 2024, over 100 proof-of-concepts, workshops and demonstrations on AI engineering, Generative and Predictive AI have been conducted – all tailored for enterprises in the APJ region.
Many organisations have used Dell’s resources to drive innovation, with several initiatives progressing toward full deployment across various sectors. For example:
- Energy sector: Strengthening critical infrastructure resilience to ensure seamless and reliable operations for leading energy providers. Additionally, leveraging digital humans and chatbots to enhance customer engagement and improve customer experiences.
- Telecommunications sector: Assisting a leading telecom provider to improve AI development and deployment across their infrastructure, enhancing agility, resilience and overall operational efficiency.
- Education sector: Harnessing AI cloud technology to empower leading education providers, enhancing their research capabilities, fostering innovation and driving growth across their ecosystem.
The Dell Technologies AI Centre of Excellence Lab is at the forefront of innovation, advancing research and development in the AI PCs and edge computing designed for AI-specific use cases and workloads.
Complementing Dell AIIH, the lab is committed to delivering exceptional user experiences while collaborating closely with academic institutions and hardware partners. Together, they conduct AI research and validate proof-of-concepts, ensuring scalable AI solutions can be seamlessly deployed across edge and hybrid environments.
AI Enablement
Singapore is putting efforts and focus on skilling in the technology and digital sectors. Dell’s AIIH is working with 10 local institutes of higher learning to integrate essential AI skills as part of current programs. Some of these skills include AI engineering, platform engineering, machine learning operations, cotainerisation and cloud-native architecture.
All the efforts align with Singapore’s big push towards growing AI talent and expertise. According to Deel research, 47% of organisations in Singapore reported a lack of local AI talent to meet business needs.
By the end of 2025, Dell Technologies experts, through Dell AIIH, will have trained around 10,000 students and mid-career professionals from Dell’s customers and partners, equipping them with valuable technology skills to thrive in the future.
Dell InnovateFest and SCDF and Dell Innovation Challenge are two annual events that brings together ecosystem partners and students, providing a platform to showcase their creativity and harness technological innovations for social good. Some of theses solutions are showcased at Dell Technologies Forum Singapore event.
“Our latest research shows that 90% of local enterprises are increasing investment in AI projects over the next 6-12 months. Organisations in Singapore recognise that AI is the foundation of future growth. The Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub, aligned with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, is powering AI transformation, accelerating AI enablement and driving leadership for Singapore and the region,” said Andy Sim, Vice President & Managing Director, Singapore, Dell Technologies. “This is a testament to the impact we can create when we harness the collective capabilities of the tech ecosystem to shape AI for the future.”
AI Leadership
With Singapore pushing for AI transformation, adoption and enablement, it goes beyond that, the AI Leadership to understand, lead and make the changes and adoption of AI technology and digital transformation.
The National AI Strategy (NAIS 2.0), guided by the vision “AI for the Public Good, for Singapore and the World”, seeks to empower individuals and communities to use AI with confidence, discernment and trust.
Aligned with Singapore’s ambitions, Dell Technologies APJ AIIH are helping:
- Organisations leverage Dell’s expertise in AI engineering, data science, software development and full stack infrastructure deployment. By doing so, they can accelerate AI adoption, gain access to cutting-edge solutions, improve operational efficiency and unlock new business opportunities.
- Industry to contribute to AI technologies and best practices in APJ, in collaboration with the wider tech ecosystem.
- Society to advance ethical AI development and governance. Dell Technologies is proud to be a founding member of AI Verify Foundation and an active participant in the IT Standards Committee (ITSC) to spearhead the development of IT standards in Singapore.
“Organisations in Singapore and APJ are adopting AI but vary in AI readiness. The AI Innovation Hub is a trusted partner, offering end-to-end expertise to help businesses trial, deploy and scale AI solutions,” said Peter Marrs, President, Asia Pacific Japan & Greater China, Dell Technologies. “Singapore’s 60th birthday marks decades of progress and innovation. At Dell Technologies, we support this journey by driving technology that empowers businesses, nurtures talent and enriches lives. The new hub strengthens our commitment to bridge the gap between AI aspirations and real-world applications.”
Dell Technologies Forum 2025
Attending Dell Technologies Forum 2025 in Singapore, it’s always an eye-opener for me, keeping up to date with new technology developments in both hardware and software side of things by Dell Technologies.
I would visit and check out Dell Technologies in action from both hardware and software perspectives (unable to cover everything though), learning more about their new AI powered computers, and one segment that was of interest to me was on where Dell Technologies works, support and play crucial roles in the areas of training and education.
There was also a media session on Dell Technologies AIIH announcement. With my strong interests in digital transformation, AI technology, as well as on training and education in technology, I prepared a list of questions for an in-depth interview with Dell Singapore in relation to Dell AIIH announcement, understanding and learning more about AIIH three key objectives in AI Transformation, AI Enablement and AI Leadership.
In my next follow-up article, an interview with Dell Technologies Singapore on the areas of Dell APJ AIIH, published at my TGH Technology and Business portal/blog, you can read, learn and understand more about Dell Technologies AIIH in Singapore and APJ region.
Notes
(1) IDC Semi-Annual Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Tracker, 2024H2 (May 2025)
* Information and pictures courtesy of Dell Singapore and Burson Singapore *