Backed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the United Overseas Bank, Microsoft is launching a programme in Singapore to aid in the use of the AI technology across various fields.
The AI QuickStart programme targets companies Microsoft described as digitally mature, spanning SMEs to larger operations. It targets an acceleration of deployments in areas including knowledge mining, process automation, customer engagement, content creation and conversational analytics.
Microsoft explained it is a technology forerunner in an IMDA programme to boost businesses’ use of generative AI. The IMDA’s GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative launched in 2024 to help companies understand and employ the technology.
Microsoft stated United Overseas Bank is an AI QuickStart partner, providing backing through its own programme to boost businesses’ access to the technology.
Head of Group SME Banking Kavita Bedi said United Overseas Bank is aware of “the urgency for enterprises to be AI-ready” and engaged more than 1,000 ASEAN businesses through its own scheme in 2025.
Projects undertaken in AI QuickStart are to be completed within three months, with costs for elements including cloud and compute resources capped at SGD20,000 ($15,725) each. Microsoft added a set of curated services would be customised using large language model architectures.
Johnson Poh, assistant chief executive for the IMDA’s Enterprise Transformation and Innovation Group, said the arrangement with Microsoft shows how essential public-private partnerships are to AI deployments and should deliver set-ups which “are reliable and practical”.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
