SINGAPORE, May 20 (Xinhua) --- Global technology firm Google and Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Wednesday announced a new National AI Partnership to expand the deployment of frontier artificial intelligence (AI) across public services.

File photo: AP

The duo said in a statement that the collaboration, formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), aims to support Singapore's National AI Strategy by scaling the use of AI for economic growth and public good. It builds on a 2022 AI partnership between the government and Google.

A key focus of the partnership is accelerating AI research and development, particularly in health and life sciences, with support from Google DeepMind's Singapore operations.

Google DeepMind is exploring collaboration with Singapore's public healthcare clusters on AI "co-clinicians" that could support doctors in delivering more precise and personalized care.

The company is also partnering with the National Research Foundation to train local researchers on agentic AI tools for scientific discovery.

Separately, Google DeepMind and SG Enable are developing an AI-powered running assistant for visually impaired athletes.

The partnership will also expand AI adoption in education through collaboration with Singapore's Ministry of Education, including educator training and upskilling programs.

It will also support enterprise innovation and Singapore's startup ecosystem, with Google Cloud expanding its engineering capabilities to help local companies accelerate AI adoption.

"Bringing frontier AI into our public services and enterprises is central to Singapore's AI ambitions," said Chng Kai Fong, permanent secretary for Digital Development and Information.