{"id":65602,"date":"2026-07-02T20:16:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=65602"},"modified":"2026-07-02T20:16:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:16:05","slug":"ai-singapore-gets-new-head-christian-wolfrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=65602","title":{"rendered":"AI Singapore gets new head, Christian Wolfrum"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 <!-- -->Nanyang Technological University\u2019s provost Christian Wolfrum has taken the helm as AI Singapore\u2019s executive chairman from July 1 with new responsibilities of harnessing artificial intelligence for public good and economic benefit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He has succeeded Ho Teck Hua, who served as founding executive chairman since AI Singapore was established in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ho, 65, will continue to serve in his role as NTU president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ho has been instrumental in shaping the programme\u2019s strategic direction and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/business\/book-on-s-pore-s-ai-story-chronicles-making-of-sector-s-engineers-tech-tip-on-perfect-kaya-toast?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">advancing Singapore\u2019s AI ambitions<\/span><\/a>, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the National Research Foundation in a joint statement on July 1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">AI Singapore is a national initiative that supports Singapore-based research institutions and AI start-ups in research, tool creation and talent development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ho has overseen the expansion of Singapore\u2019s AI research and manpower development efforts, under initiatives such as the AISG PhD Fellowship, 100 Experiments, and the AI Apprenticeship Programme, said the statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cAISG has delivered over 300 AI projects and trained close to 500 Singaporean AI engineers, significantly enhancing the ability of Singapore\u2019s companies to operate at the forefront of AI,\u201d said MDDI and NRF.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In particular, Ho strongly advocated for the development of Singapore\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/70m-s-pore-ai-initiative-to-develop-first-large-language-model-with-south-east-asian-context?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">home-grown large-language model Sea-Lion<\/span><\/a>. Sea-Lion<!-- -->, which is able to recognise 13 regional languages such as Malay, Tamil, and Javanese<!-- -->, is already being used by companies such as Indonesia\u2019s GoTo Group and home-grown tech services firm NCS<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In a Facebook post on July 1, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo thanked Ho for his work in building a national AI ecosystem from scratch, describing it as \u201cno easy task\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIt involves getting researchers, companies, and government agencies to work together, while growing local AI talent along the way,\u201d said Teo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cHe did this well, and in doing so, helped Singapore <!-- -->earn<!-- --> its standing as a trusted and respected partner in the global AI landscape. Many of the capabilities we have today can be traced back to these early efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">She also welcomed Wolfrum to the fray.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Wolfrum, who will continue in his roles as deputy president and provost of NTU, brings significant experience in shaping AI research ecosystems, said MDDI and NRF.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">As the former vice-president for research at Swiss university ETH Zurich, the 53-year-old was also closely involved in the establishment of national AI initiatives in Switzerland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">These include the Swiss National AI Institute and Swiss AI Initiative, a project dedicated to developing transparent and trustworthy AI models accessible to researchers, enterprises, and the public sector in Switzerland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cProf Wolfrum will work closely with MDDI, NRF, and research ecosystem stakeholders to build on the strong foundations established by Prof Ho, and lead AI Singapore in its next phase of growth,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThis includes advancing Singapore\u2019s priorities under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/national-ai-strategy-20-follows-years-of-planning-growth-in-ai-sector-not-by-chance-dpm-wong?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">National AI Strategy 2.0<\/span><\/a>, and strengthening AI Singapore\u2019s role in delivering consequential research and innovation outcomes under the National AI Research and Development Plan, in support of Singapore\u2019s ambition to be a leading global hub for trusted and impactful AI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The National AI Strategy 2.0 is Singapore\u2019s AI blueprint first launched in 2019. It was updated in May to include new priorities such as boosting AI research.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Under the updated five-year National AI Research and Development Plan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/singapore-to-invest-1-billion-over-5-years-to-boost-ai-public-research?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">$1 billion has been committed<\/span><\/a> to public AI research and talent development till the end of 2030.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Describing his new role as an <!-- -->honour<!-- -->, <!-- -->Wolfrum said that AI Singapore\u2019s unique strength lies in its position at the crossroads of academia and industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThis is exactly where AI champions are built \u2013 companies that embed AI into the core of their products and operations, not as an add-on but as a fundamental capability, backed by a workforce that understands AI deeply enough to build with it,\u201d said Wolfrum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cResearch without industry impact is incomplete, and industry without deep research is short-sighted. Singapore\u2019s AI ecosystem can close that gap, and AI Singapore will be the engine to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\"><b>Correction note: <\/b>An earlier version of this story referred to Nanyang Technological University incorrectly. We are sorry for the error.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/tech\/ntu-provost-to-helm-spores-national-ai-programme-from-july-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 Nanyang Technological University\u2019s provost Christian Wolfrum has taken the helm as AI Singapore\u2019s executive chairman from July 1 with new responsibilities of harnessing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/65603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}