Elson Chia (Fujitsu)
Fujitsu Asia and Singapore-based Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a master research collaboration agreement to set the stage for future joint projects while accelerating the research and development (R&D) of artificial intelligence (AI) and converging technology solutions.
Targeted at manufacturing, trust technologies and healthcare and medical applications, both parties will leverage their respective strengths in a variety of research areas to translate innovative ideas into benefits for users.
Terms of the agreement will allow Fujitsu to enter R&D collaborations with A*STAR research entities for a period of three years.
“This agreement between FAPL and A*STAR marks the beginning of a promising new collaboration that I’m confident will yield many exciting and innovative projects,” said Elson Chia, president of Asia at Fujitsu.
“Our relationship with A*STAR will not only strengthen our research capabilities in Singapore, but also demonstrates Fujitsu’s ongoing commitment to partnering with innovation leaders globally to deliver solutions to the problems confronting humanity.”
Additionally, Fujitsu aims to nurture local talent in technology areas of special strategic significance, such as AI, by collaborating with Singapore’s institutes of higher learning, universities and polytechnics through internship placement and allowing them to participate in the Master Research Collaboration Projects.
The technology provider is also exploring applications in last mile logistics together with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), under the master research collaboration agreement.
The two parties are not collaborating for the first time – Fujitsu had previously partnered A*STAR in research areas such as computational social science and engineering, and quantum-inspired computing and deep learning technology.
Furthermore, Fujitsu has been a tier-2 member of A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) consortium since 2017 and is continuing the ARTC membership to pursue advanced manufacturing research and collaborations, including exploring technologies in relation to sustainable manufacturing and supply chain resilience.
“We are pleased to build on the relationship between Fujitsu and A*STAR to continue addressing R&D priorities important to Singapore,” added Professor Lim Keng Hui, assistant chief executive of Science & Engineering Research Council at A*STAR.
“Collaboration is key and we look forward to co-innovating with Fujitsu under this new partnership to accelerate the development of solutions that can benefit society and the economy. Both parties will also be able to leverage this collaboration to deepen our talent development and foster new capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Fujitsu also aims to develop commercial solutions for their customers in the Asia Pacific region, with an initial focus on resolving customers’ challenges in the areas of manufacturing and retail.
