Journalism begins where hype ends

,,

The danger of AI is not that it will become conscious and hate us, but that it will become competent and ignore us."

—Eliezer Yudkowsky

Singapore’s AI Rise Takes Spotlight at Tech in Asia Conference as Funding Hits $9.3 Billion

Singapore’s AI funding lead comes as Southeast Asian businesses increasingly move from experimenting with AI to deploying it at scale, a shift reflected at the 15th Tech in Asia Conference in Singapore.
Tech in Asia Conference logo for the 15th edition focused on enterprise AI in Southeast Asia
September 15, 2026 07:56 PM IST | Written by Supriya Singh | Edited by Vaibhav Jha

Singapore is emerging as the dominant AI funding hub in Southeast Asia, with native AI companies in the country raising $9.3 billion through July 2026, according to Tracxn, even as businesses across the region rapidly move from experimenting with artificial intelligence to deploying it at scale.

The country’s growing AI prominence was reflected at the 15th Tech in Asia Conference in Singapore on Tuesday, where more than 2,000 business leaders from across Southeast Asia gathered under the theme “Lead the Enterprise AI Era” to examine the practical challenges of putting AI into enterprise operations.

Singapore’s contribution in ASEAN’s rise in global AI adoption is also remarkable as a recent report by McKinsey, EnterpriseDB (EDB), and Tech in Asia, titled “AI in Southeast Asia: An Era of Opportunity” had revealed that nearly half (46 per cent) of the surveyed companies in the region have moved beyond piloting AI initiatives to scaling them, placing Southeast Asia ahead of the global average of 35 per cent.

“As AI moves rapidly from experimentation into the way businesses operate, the conversation is shifting from what AI can do to how organisations can deploy it effectively and create lasting business value,” said Terence Lee, overall lead and editor-in-chief, Tech in Asia.

“This year’s theme, ‘Lead the Enterprise AI Era’, reflects that shift. For our 15th edition, we wanted to bring together the people making these decisions – from enterprise leaders and technology practitioners to founders building the next generation of AI solutions. Hosting the conference in Singapore gives us the opportunity to connect this community at a time when businesses across the region are looking to turn AI’s potential into practical outcomes,” Terence added.

The conference will feature perspectives from leaders across industries on how AI is being put into practice. Hans Patuwo of GoTo Group will discuss GoTo’s next chapter across AI, inclusion and ecosystem growth, while Ng Tian Beng of Certis will share lessons from deploying AI across a 25,000-person workforce.

Philipp Kandal of Grab will explore the infrastructure powering Southeast Asia’s super-app, while Li Hongyi of Open Government Products and Paul Copplestone of Supabase will examine how technology and infrastructure can enable AI to work at scale.

Also Read: AI Is Making Singapore’s Workers Anxious. PM Wong Says Training Is the Answer

Authors

  • AI FrontPage Reporter Supriya Singh

    Supriya Singh is a Reporter at AI FrontPage covering the AI & Education and AI & Jobs beats. She brings six years of print and digital experience, including three years at The Asian Age, where she reported on higher education, Delhi government, and crime. She is based in Delhi-NCR.

    LinkedIn
  • Vaibhav Jha, editor and co-founder at AI FrontPage

    Vaibhav Jha is an Editor and Co-founder of AI FrontPage. In his decade long career in journalism, Vaibhav has reported for publications including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The New York Times, covering the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Outside work, he’s usually trying to persuade people to watch Anurag Kashyap films.

    LinkedIn

Related Posts

LATEST NEWS