The Sectoral AI Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing (AIMfg) was officially launched on 27 September 2024 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong.
Jointly established by A*STAR and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Centre is a flagship initiative under Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across the manufacturing sector, a critical engine of Singapore’s economy.
Located within A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) at Cleantech Loop, AIMfg provides a dedicated platform for companies to co-develop, test, and deploy AI solutions tailored to their operational needs. To date, more than ten companies, including Coca-Cola and Philips, have signed up to collaborate with the Centre. These partnerships demonstrate the growing appetite within the industry to harness AI for greater efficiency, cost reduction, and business innovation.
In his launch address, Mr Gan highlighted that manufacturing has often been viewed as one of the most challenging sectors for AI implementation, due to the need for high accuracy, deep domain knowledge, and integration with legacy systems. Despite these challenges, he emphasised the importance of pushing forward. With manufacturing contributing around 20 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product and employing one in eight workers, embracing AI is crucial to ensure the sector remains globally competitive and future-ready.
AIMfg is designed to lower the barriers to AI adoption by offering customisable AI models in key areas such as quality assurance, predictive maintenance, and industrial automation. These models are supported by technical consultancy and hands-on guidance to help companies refine and scale solutions suited to their specific use cases. One notable tool available at the Centre is a generative AI assistant that can summarise technical manuals and provide real-time troubleshooting support, reducing downtime and improving machine reliability.
To support safe and effective experimentation, AIMfg also features an AI Sandbox. This environment allows companies to trial AI solutions with their own data before scaling them into full production. It provides access to tools, services, and expertise across the AI value chain, enabling businesses to evaluate feasibility, fine-tune their models, and innovate with confidence.
The Centre also places a strong emphasis on building long-term AI capabilities. Companies working with AIMfg will receive training on data infrastructure optimisation, model retraining and updating techniques, and best practices to maintain the relevance and accuracy of their AI systems over time.
As a three-year pilot initiative, AIMfg will also serve as a blueprint for establishing similar Centres of Excellence in other key sectors, including biomedical sciences, logistics, and financial services. By bringing together industry stakeholders, researchers, and technology providers, AIMfg represents a significant step forward in transforming Singapore’s manufacturing landscape through AI.
