Huawei today announced partnerships with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Keppel Data Centres, and Ascent Solutions through the signing of two Memorandums of Intent (MOI) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), cementing Huawei and its partners’ commitment towards Singapore’s Digital Economy future for a Smart Nation.
Mr. Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Coordinating Minister for National Security; His Excellency Mr. Chen Xiaodong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of The People’s Republic of China to The Republic of Singapore; Mr. Chan Yeng Kit, Chairman of IMDA, Permanent Secretary (Defence), Ministry of Defence; and Madam Sun Yafang, Chairwoman of Huawei, witnessed the signing ceremony at the ‘Partners for Tomorrow’ event.
The partnerships aim to enhance industry collaboration, enable local companies to scale globally, empower the workforce with skills relevant for the digital economy as well as equipping companies with the technology and knowledge to build strong digital capabilities in a sustainable manner.
Huawei, IMDA, and Keppel Data Centres will focus on a two-year collaboration to explore the technical feasibility of a first-of-its-kind high-rise green data centre building;
Huawei and IMDA will collaborate to accelerate the growth of local small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), by leveraging Huawei’s technical expertise and facilities, go-to-market opportunities and global business network;
Huawei will support Ascent Solutions as its technology enabler, allowing the local company to tap on Huawei’s global business network and explore overseas opportunities.
In addition, IMDA and Huawei will jointly promote deeper talent and capability building among local information and communications technology (ICT) students. This initiative will include 45 overseas training stints and internship opportunities for students to explore new capabilities in technology areas critical to the future such as the Internet of Things, 5G, and cybersecurity.
Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), Huawei is one of the significant players in Singapore’s information and communication technology ecosystem, with investments ranging from research and development (R&D), to a regional base for digital innovation and solution integration across the Asia Pacific region.
Mr. Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Coordinating Minister for National Security, giving a speech
In his speech, DPM Teo Chee Hean said: “Technological innovation is key to Singapore’s development to be a knowledge-based economy. Transformative technology – from robotic drones to smart city solutions – is reshaping our economy, and disrupting business models. At the same time, this is creating many exciting new opportunities and good jobs. To drive innovation and seize the opportunities in the Digital Economy, we will help our larger companies based in Singapore, be they multinational companies or large local enterprises, to partner with our SMEs, to uplift the overall technology and capability level, build an enabling digital infrastructure, and grow the pool of skilled ICT manpower.”
Madam Sun Yafang, Chairwoman, Huawei, said: “Singapore has ambitions to be the world’s first Smart Nation and we share strong visions that support Singapore’s ambition. Our “platform plus ecosystem” strategy demonstrates our commitment to enable every institution and organisation to go digital, including enterprises and government. By innovating continuously in the ICT infrastructure, IoT, cloud, AI, big data, and smart device solutions, we can empower our partners and customers to be more competitive. By building ecosystem, we are committed to cooperating more closely with local enterprises globally. Launching OpenLabs is an important initiative for our ecosystem. In Singapore, we cooperate with local SMEs in IoT and green ICT solutions. This is the major content of the partnerships we are signing today and gives new meaning to our collaboration with Singapore.”
Mr Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), said: “It is in Singapore’s DNA to be open to new ideas and embrace innovation. Through partnerships with leading industry players such as Huawei, IMDA aims to accelerate the transformation of our industries for a digital economy, expand the international footprint of our tech companies and jointly develop ground-breaking solutions for the global market.”
Mr Kiren Kumar, Assistant Managing Director, Economic Development Board (EDB), said: “As Singapore marches towards the digital economy, deep partnerships with global technology leaders like Huawei will be vital. Huawei’s continued growth and commitment to Singapore in R&D investments, talent development and collaborations with local SMEs are important facets of this partnership. ”
Driving a sustainable ICT future: Green technologies for data centre industry
The first MOI is a tripartite partnership between Huawei, IMDA and Keppel Data Centres that aims to improve energy and land efficiency of the data centre industry in Singapore through the implementation o innovative technology and solutions.
The partnership will leverage IMDA’s programmes to support the development of an Iconic Green Data Centre in Singapore; Keppel Data Centres’ capabilities to construct and operate the Iconic Green Data Centre; and Huawei’s technological expertise to develop innovative green data centre solutions.
Mr Wong Wai Meng, Chief Executive Officer, Keppel Data Centres, said: “Keppel Data Centres is encouraged by the opportunity for collaboration with IMDA and Huawei. As we progress towards a digital future, energy- and space-efficient data centre solutions will only grow in importance. Together with our like-minded partners, we stand ready to help our customers grow their business and shrink their carbon footprint with Keppel Data Centres’ suite of advanced data centre solutions.”
Going global: Accelerating the growth and reach of Singapore companies
The second MOI, between Huawei and IMDA, is focused on accelerating Singapore-based tech companies’ growth and expansion. Through this partnership, 35 local companies, to be jointly shortlisted through the Strategic Partners Program (SPP), will have the opportunity to access and benefit from Huawei’s breadth of technology capabilities, market insights and global business network.
The opportunities will enable the participating companies to develop products and solutions that address global market demands in specific sectors such as healthcare, logistics, financial services, public safety, public utility and more.
Enabling the Internet of Things: Scaling from Singapore to the world
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between Huawei and Singapore-headquartered IoT and cargo security tracking company, Ascent Solutions, builds on an existing partnership between the two companies and extends the partnership to a global scale. Through this partnership, Huawei will enable Ascent Solution to provide its services and solutions to a global audience and contribute towards a robust, innovative ICT ecosystem in Singapore.
“Our strategic partnership with Huawei has grown over the years and we are excited to further our collaboration to drive innovation on a local level for a larger, global audience. Leveraging Huawei’s global business network, we will be scaling our solutions and offerings to unlock business opportunities in the South Pacific and European regions. Through Huawei’s support in marketing and product innovation, we are optimistic that Ascent will see a five-fold increase in our business revenue in the next few years,” said Mr Lim Chee Kean, Chief Executive Officer, Ascent Solutions Pte Ltd.
