Dell to invest $50m in Singapore innovation hub

Dell Technologies is investing $50m in a global innovation hub in Singapore to drive adoption of emerging technologies and advance its research and development (R&D) capabilities.

The first of its kind outside the US, the facility is part of the company’s efforts to speed up adoption of digital technology and foster innovation in Singapore for global customers and partners, said Amit Midha, its president for Asia-Pacific and Japan.

For a start, Dell will invest $23m this year out of its $50m investment, which will be used to support the development of augmented and mixed reality, data analytics, cloud-native, cyber security and edge computing technologies.

The global innovation hub, home to a specialised team responsible for enhancing user experiences, will also house R&D and hardware prototyping facilities, along with an artificial intelligence (AI) experience zone.

During a media briefing, Midha said the new facility underscores the “tremendous role” that Singapore plays in Dell’s global technology delivery, roadmap and strategy, adding that 160 new roles including designers, developers and strategists will be filled by this year.

“This is a fantastic way for us harness the talent base in Singapore, the Singapore brand, as well as show our commitment to the country,” he added.

Ang Chin Tah, vice-president and head of Digital Industry Singapore, a multi-agency government office to grow the local tech sector, said the global innovation hub speaks to Dell Technologies’ confidence in Singapore as an attractive R&D location, with access to talent and a vibrant ecosystem of partners across the region.

“Dell Technologies will create meaningful jobs for Singaporeans across design, strategy, research and product development. These in turn support our efforts in building a smart nation and strong digital economy,” he said.

Amid growing opportunities in the tech sector, Midha said Singapore could take the lead in edge computing, which could dwarf cloud computing in the next decade.

“The amount of data that the edge will create and the uses of edge will be multi-fold. And so for us to think about Singapore leading the way in the edge, cyber security, cloud-native and augmented reality really bodes well for Singapore as a nation,” he added.

The global innovation hub follows earlier efforts by Dell to train up to 3,000 fresh graduates, mid-career professionals and students in Singapore with knowledge and skills in cloud computing, data protection and management, data science, and big data analytics over the next two years.

This includes a five-week training programme for 1,000 employees at Singapore-based Dell’s partner and customer firms enrolled in the government’s SGUnited traineeship or mid-career pathways programme. 

The sessions will equip individuals with relevant skills for job roles such as data protection and management engineer, data analyst, and converged cloud infrastructure engineer.

At the end of the programme, all participants will be evaluated on their technical proficiency and awarded industry-recognised certifications such as the Dell Certified Associate upon passing the examination.