India-Singapore signs MoU to boost cooperation in AI, supercomputing, and 5G

PM in Singapore: During the two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India and Singapore signed an MoU on cooperation in digital technologies in what is said to be a major impetus to bilateral relations in the technology sector.

The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Singapore.

This agreement lays the ground for deeper cooperation between the two countries on the use of Digital Public Infrastructure, cybersecurity, 5G, and other emerging technologies such as supercomputing and quantum computing, including artificial intelligence (AI).

The MoU also covers upskilling and reskilling the manpower in the digital domain, thus showing their mutual commitment toward workforce competency in coping with challenges arising from changes in technology. The agreement is likely to pave the way for new avenues of collaboration and development in the digital sector while boosting innovation and enhancing digital security.

It also forms part of the broader digital transformation goals of India and Singapore, being among the most global innovation and digital infrastructure hubs, bringing in expertise in these domains; hence, promises to be a mutually benefiting factor through the exchange of knowledge and technologies.

This visit is the first by an Indian prime minister since 2018 and a milestone in the India-Singapore relationship. The visit came after a new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took over in Singapore and some weeks into PM Modi's third consecutive term as India's Prime Minister after the general elections concluded in May. 

The MoU on digital cooperation formed part of a broad agenda aimed at deepening the economic and technological partnerships between the two countries.

During this two-day visit, PM Modi will call on Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong. He will also attend a business roundtable with Singaporean business leaders, with the focus on advanced manufacturing and sustainable development among other industries.

The MoU further complements such efforts, throws the window open for more substantial partnerships in the digital domain, and thereby attracts investments from Singapore's tech ecosystem into India's growing digital economy.