Dell Technologies recently launched new APJ AI Innovation Hub in Singapore – Driving AI Transformation, AI Enablement and AI Leadership in Singapore and region at Dell Technologies Forum Singapore, this news was covered in my earlier article on my TGH Technology and Business website.
Dell Technologies APJ AIIH Announcement at Dell Technologies Forum 2025 Singapore
In my earlier article, I mentioned about attending Dell Technologies Forum 2025 Singapore, as well as for the announcement for the launch of its new Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) AI Innovation Hub (AIIH) in Singapore, – driving AI Transformation, Enablement and Leadership in Singapore and Region.
With my strong interests in digital transformation, AI technology, as well as on training and education, I prepared a list of questions for an in-depth interview with Dell Technologies Singapore on the Dell APJ AIIH announcement.
Getting to Know More about Dell Technologies APJ AIIH
I titled my Q&A interview article, “Getting to Know More about Dell Technologies APJ AIIH”, drawing my working experiences working in the local SME industry, based on Dell AIIH three key objectives, AI Transformation, AI Enablement and AI Leadership, with my questions concentrating on the areas of businesses, training and education through Dell AIIH.
Through my questions that I prepared, and the replies by Mr Ng Nam Guan, General Manager and Head, Global Smart Cities and Asia Pacific & Japan AI Innovation Hub, Dell Technologies Singapore, let’s get to know more about Dell Technologies APJ AIIH
AI Transformation
“Organisations in Singapore and APJ are adopting AI but vary in AI readiness”. The topic of data is well known as one of the key challenges and difficulties. What are some of the other difficulties, challenges and fears that different types of organisations, from big size companies/MNCs, to medium sized organisations and small organisations are facing?
There is no disputing that whilst AI adoption is accelerating across Singapore and the region and really, the world, readiness levels do differ quite widely across organisations. A key reason is that AI transformation goes far beyond just having data, it requires the right mix of infrastructure, talent, skills and governance maturity to scale effectively.
Amongst these challenges, a shortage of AI talent is a critical barrier for most. According to a recent IDC Infobrief, in 2023, 20% of AI projects in the Asia Pacific failed because of factors like skill shortages and high costs for acquiring talent, data management, model training and infrastructure.
Nearly half of businesses in Singapore report struggling to find qualified AI professionals, which can hit smaller businesses especially hard because they can’t compete with large corporations for specialised talent.
Yet, whilst larger organisations might have a slightly easier time with talent, they are more likely to grapple with integrating AI into complex legacy IT systems, navigating the associated governance, compliance and security risks and dealing with organisational inertia.
Conversely, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face different constraints. While they are often more agile and less burdened by legacy systems, they often struggle with limited budgets and a lack of dedicated IT or analytics teams. This can hamper strategic AI planning and data-driven decision-making. For SMEs, AI adoption is often driven by the need for immediate operational efficiency and a competitive edge, focusing on automating repetitive tasks and enhancing customer experiences.
This is why there has never been a better time than now to introduce the Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub (AIIH). By facilitating collaboration between organisations and partners to validate use cases and create and test prototypes, enterprises can now seek to bridge the gap between AI ambitions and successful deployment.
Are there industries that Dell Technologies AIIH need and can do more for their industries to better assist them in adopting and implementing AI technology to their work environment?
Prior to its official unveiling at the 2025 Dell Technologies Forum Singapore, our team at the AIIH have been hard at work with clients and industry partners, developing around 50 AI engineering solution prototypes, workshop modules and data science demo models. In fact, 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.
Driven forward through a single-minded collaborative spirit, the AIIH operates in an industry-agnostic manner, focused on three key objectives: AI transformation, AI enablement and AI leadership. This has already allowed us to see some success across different sectors, with several initiatives progressing toward full deployment. 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.
We are delighted to be contributing to the success stories across our region, but there remains much more work to be done. Other industries such as healthcare, financial services and manufacturing still face complex regulatory, operational and workforce challenges that require more specialised AI enablement and governance support. These sectors stand to gain significantly from AI-driven efficiency, risk management and innovation when AI is responsibly scaled with industry-specific expertise.
Our AIIH aims to bridge these gaps by co-creating and validating AI use cases with industry partners, delivering end-to-end solutions and upskilling talent in line with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0. This ensures AI adoption is responsible, scalable and creates real-world impact across diverse work environments.
Data is well discussed topic, it’s the key challenge to AI technology adoption and implementation. How can Dell Technologies AIIH play key roles in teaching/helping an organisation on their data strategy?
A robust data strategy is the bedrock of any successful AI initiative. Without it, there can be no meaningful AI strategy, as bad data will cripple it before you can get started. Organisations must maintain a clean data platform with properly labeled, updated and accurate information. Clear accountability should also be established. For companies to adopt AI, a solid data management plan is essential.
Our AI Innovation Hub plays a crucial role in guiding organisations to build this foundation. We provide expertise to help them validate AI use cases, create prototypes and conduct proofs-of-concept, ensuring the organisation’s data is of high-quality and relevance. Through our open ecosystem model, we collaborate with industry partners to deliver scalable and secure data management solutions.
Furthermore, we are deeply invested in talent development. Our focused upskilling programmes, run in partnership with local institutes, are designed to build a pipeline of professionals skilled in AI engineering, data science and cloud-native architecture. This is complemented by our leadership in responsible AI governance, where we help organisations navigate data security, compliance and ethical deployment in line with Singapore’s national AI strategy.
By combining cutting-edge technology like our Dell PowerScale and ObjectScale data platforms with strategic advisory and skills development, we empower organisations to move from simple data collection to generating actionable insights with a trusted, AI-ready data foundation.
AI Enablement
Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub (AIIH) is working with 10 local institutes of higher learning to integrate essential skills as part of their current programs. Are the AI technology courses/curriculum going to be taught at Dell Technologies premises or they would be taught at respective IHLs premises? Would Dell Technologies AIIH be working with secondary schools too?
While the AI courses are conducted largely at the IHL premises, the curriculum is designed to be flexible and impactful. Dell Technologies APJ AI Innovation Hub experts do participate in guest lectures to provide industry insights and expertise. This ensures students receive a strong theoretical foundation within their academic environment, enriched with practical knowledge on the latest cutting-edge technology.
Regarding secondary schools, while we are currently focused on tertiary and mid-career professionals, we are always exploring future opportunities. Given our commitment to expanding the AI ecosystem, future initiatives could certainly include outreach programmes aimed at inspiring younger students.
“By the end of 2025, Dell will have trained around 10,000 students and mid-career professionals”. What would be the breakdown of students versus mid-career professionals? Is there an emphasis on students over mid-career professionals?
We do not have the breakdown in terms of no. of students trained versus mid-career professionals.
Our goal is to foster a balanced and robust AI ecosystem, which requires nurturing talent at all levels. Therefore, we place equal importance on equipping the next generation of leaders and empowering mid-career professionals to upskill and pivot into new roles. Both groups are absolutely vital and we do not have a rigid quota but focus on ensuring our programmes meet the distinct needs of both students entering the workforce and experienced professionals seeking to adapt and grow.
Beside teaching the technology, computing and technical skills and knowledge on AI technology, would Dell Technologies AIIH be teaching non-technical related skills such as soft skills to complement the curriculum that they are conducting?
While the technical curriculum such as AI engineering, machine learning operations and cloud-native architecture is core to our mission, we embed critical non-technical skills throughout our programmes. This approach is reflected in the design of our workshops, training modules and innovation challenges, which are designed to encourage project management, creative problem-solving and effective collaboration alongside technical proficiency. For example, events such as the annual Dell InnovateFest and the SCDF and Dell Innovation Challenge provide a platform where participants must apply both technical and soft skills to solve real-world problems, preparing them to be well-rounded and impactful leaders in the industry.
AI Leadership
In the recent National Day Rally 2025 speech by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, he placed great emphasis on AI technology to propel Singapore forward, urging Singaporeans to adopt AI, up-skill and upgrade. The government and major technology companies are advocating and pushing forward on AI technology.
Does a gap still exist between governments, technology companies and the business and public sectors regarding the roles, potential and outcomes of AI adoption—between what is advocated and how it is actually perceived and used in work and daily life? Has this gap narrowed over the years, or has it grown wider?
From our perspective, what we are seeing is a strong and encouraging alignment between the government’s vision and the readiness of the business sector.
There is a clear and ambitious path with the National AI Strategy 2.0, to utilise AI as a force for public good and backing it with a significant investment of over $1 billion. Key initiatives such as the Enterprise Compute Initiative also show a clear commitment to providing the resources needed to create value from AI.
What is exciting is that businesses are stepping up to meet this vision and are actively preparing, with over 90% planning to increase AI funding and 80% prioritising comprehensive AI strategies. This is where that partnership between the public and private sectors becomes so critical. For the national strategy to succeed, enterprises have a vital role to play as the engines that will drive this transformation on the ground.
That is precisely the vision that we, from a technology partner’s position, have for our AI Innovation Hub. We see our role as working alongside the government and local enterprises to help them move from ambition to execution, to work hand-in-hand with businesses to build the right data strategies, develop and scale AI use cases and upskill their talent. Therefore, it is about a collaborative ecosystem taking shape and various stakeholders working in unity to accelerate that journey, ensuring the transformative power of AI is realised across the entire economy.
How can Dell Technologies AIIH play key roles in alleviating the fears of AI technology replacing people in their work, as well as myths and misconceptions of AI technology?
Our approach is fundamentally people-first and we believe that technology, no matter how advanced, requires human expertise, creativity and collaboration to truly make a difference. This philosophy is at the core of how we work and innovate with AI.
One of the most important ways we do this is through our comprehensive training and upskilling programmes that prepare the workforce to work side-by-side with AI systems that serve as a powerful tool that complements and augments human expertise. We have committed to training approximately 10,000 students and mid-career professionals by the end of 2025, covering technical fields like AI engineering and machine learning operations, as well as soft skills crucial for effective human-AI interaction.
Furthermore, we actively engage in thought leadership and collaborate with industry and academic partners to promote the responsible and ethical development of AI. Through panels, workshops and practical project examples, we showcase how AI is being used to strengthen infrastructure, boost research and enhance customer experiences, all while creating new opportunities for people. Our active participation in policy development, including initiatives such as the AI Verify Foundation, underscores our commitment to ensuring AI’s safe and ethical use, which helps build public trust and mitigate fears.
How can Dell Technologies AIIH play key roles and in which areas for IMDA’s CTO-as-a-Service movement?
IMDA’s CTO-as-a-Service is a vital initiative for Singapore, it plays a critical role in democratising strategic digital expertise, especially for SMEs, which are the backbone of our economy. Helping these businesses get on the right track for their digital and AI transformation is essential for the nation’s progress.
For us, supporting enterprise digital transformation is also an important priority for us and we understand that the biggest barriers to adopting AI are often the initial cost and the risk of the unknown. Our AIIH is designed to directly address this, by helping them focus on use cases, develop and deploy tailored AI applications that enhance operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making. Our expertise in end-to-end AI deployment can help businesses overcome implementation barriers and align their AI strategies with organisational goals, without risking significant capital investment.
Personal Thoughts and Views from conducting this Interview about Dell APJ AIIH
From my past few years learning more about AI technology, covering the developments, the pros and cons of AI technology, the non technology side of AI, the impacts, its potentials and drawbacks, I am still learning and understanding more about AI technology in general (from an umbrella perspective), to specific industries, and how AI technology is already helping them to change and accelerate the growth, changes and adoption.
From this interview with Dell Technologies on its APJ AIIH, I got to learn and understand more about AI technology in the areas of AI Transformation, AI Enablement and AI Leadership, for organisations and for the younger digital natives generation that are growing up in mostly (or everything) digital and social media.
Personally, I feel the areas of AI Leadership and AI Enablement are more crucial than ever, compared to the past few years when the boom in AI technology started. This interview also showcase how technology companies such as Dell Technologies can help organisations to train, adopt, change and implement AI technology, beyond the technology and technical aspects of software and hardware, in the other areas of leadership, training and education, the human side of AI that I am talking about in my AI related articles.
Covering and writing about AI technology developments and changes are lengthy and can be heavy, from both technological, technical and intangible human perspectives. I would continue to write and share more insights about AI technology, developments and changes, in smaller and easier to digest bite sizes down the road.
Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Mr Ng Nam Guan, General Manager and Head, Global Smart Cities and Asia Pacific & Japan AI Innovation Hub, Dell Technologies Singapore for taking his precious time to answer my interview questions, also to Burson Singapore for facilitating this in-depth interview opportunity on Dell Technologies AIIH announcement.
* Pictures courtesy of Dell Technologies *