Singapore commits S$150 million to AI-powered materials platform and business AI programme

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong announced a S$150 million injection into the Materials Accelerator for Research, Venture and Enterprise Launchpad (Marvel-AI) during the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology. Managed by A*Star and supported by METI, EnterpriseSG, the Economic Development Board and the National Research Foundation, Marvel-AI will focus on four material classes—metal alloys, polymers and organics, ceramics and composites—and employ AI-driven prediction, experimentation and robotic validation to speed up development, with capabilities such as producing 75 polymer samples in a day or screening 470 metal alloys daily.

Professor Loh Xian Jun said the platform links Singapore’s materials expertise with AI to move discoveries toward commercial use, and industry partners like Foxconn Industrial Internet and ST Engineering are already engaged. The government also introduced the Champions of AI programme, selecting 24 firms such as OCBC, Singtel and Singapore Airlines to receive tailored AI roadmaps, workforce training and supply-chain integration support.

Additional measures include “Driving Entrepreneurship with AI” workshops for SMEs and the upcoming Catalytic AI Solutions initiative aimed at helping micro-entrepreneurs build AI prototypes, with a pilot reaching over 280 small businesses. Gan emphasized that these investments aim to create jobs, boost industrial capability and cement Singapore’s role in advanced materials and AI innovation.