NCS in Singapore to expand AI engineering workforce to over 300 — Channel NewsAsia
NCS, which is owned by telecommunications group Singtel, has opened an AI Mission Centre in Singapore’s Ang Mo Kio district and plans to increase the number of AI engineers working in client teams from 100 to more than 300 over two years. The centre is intended to help organizations move from pilot projects to the large-scale deployment of artificial intelligence-based solutions.
As reported by Channel NewsAsia, NCS has 100 such specialists. They work directly with client teams, providing expertise and support. NCS chief executive officer Sam Liew said the company would increase their number by retraining existing employees and hiring new ones.
Working with client processes
According to Liew, the engineers will jointly develop solutions with clients that the latter will subsequently be able to operate independently. The specialists are expected to immerse themselves in the specifics of companies’ operations, identify problems, create AI solutions and update core business processes. He noted that legacy systems and inconsistent data complicate the implementation of artificial intelligence for individual companies.
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At the opening, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo stressed that AI development requires infrastructure, including data centres, data transmission channels, mobile networks and computing capacity. She also described businesses’ readiness to use the technology, specialist training and government support programmes as important. According to her, the country’s government has committed to using AI and agents in the delivery of public services.
Three new partnerships
NCS also signed three memoranda of understanding with Changi Airport Group, the Institute of Mental Health and Life3 Biotech to develop and scale AI solutions. Together with the operator of Changi Airport, the company will develop the iFerret system, which uses AI to monitor the presence of foreign objects on the runway.
NCS Chief AI Officer Edward Chen said the system can detect objects measuring from 4 cm on a runway about 4 km long. It is already also used in the Middle East and Hong Kong. The Institute of Mental Health is testing an AI-based facial recognition system to strengthen patient identification and ensure that safety issues are addressed in a timely manner in inpatient settings. The trial involved 180 patients in four wards; the project is planned to be expanded to all 50 wards of the institute and psychiatric wards at other hospitals.
